Flavescent Bulbul - Pycnonotus flavescens - นกปรอดหัวตาขาว

This Flavescent Bulbul (Pycnonotus flavescens) was photographed in the mountains of Thailand's Kaeng Krachan National Park in January 2012.

 

The textbooks would tell you that the Flavescent Bulbul (Pycnonotus flavescens) is seen only at elevations above 900 metres (3000 feet), which makes it one of the less common bulbuls of south-east Asia. This one, however, didn’t read the textbook, as the GPS put it about 750 metres above sea level.

 

There are 130 bulbul species which inhabit Asia and Africa, with 35 being found in Thailand. Of the 19 I saw, this is perhaps the plainest. The word ‘flavescent’ means ‘yellowish’, from the word ‘flavum’ or ‘yellow’, if I correctly recall my high school latin. It is identified by a flavescent belly and yellowish-olive back, complemented by a grey head and a short, white supercilium. Like most bulbuls, it does perch in one spot long enough to get a reasonable photo.

 

Comments, corrections and criticisms are welcomed.

Done