Bird Watching- Red Vented Bulbul

Red-Vented Bulbul

The red-vented bulbul is easily identified by its short crest giving the head a squarish appearance. The body is dark brown with a scaly pattern while the head is darker or black. A conspicuous crimson patch below root of the tail, and a white rump, the last particularly noticeable in flight. 

Local names

Hindi - Kala bulbul, Bulbuli, Guldum

Tamil - Kondanchiradi, Kondai kuruvi

Malayalam - Nattu bulbul

This beautiful bird visited my garden last week just for a few seconds, this is the best i could capture in this short span. 

It is always interesting to know more about the birds you see in your neighborhood.

THE BOOK OF INDIAN BIRDS by Salim Ali, is my guide to the name of these beautiful creatures, then searching the internet to know more about them. 

Some of the common facts i learned about the Red-vented bulbuls  is they feed on fruits, petals of flowers, nectar and insects .

The eggs are pale-pinkish with spots of darker red more dense at the broad end. The eggs hatch after about 14 days. Both parents feed the chicks

The red-vented bulbul was among the first animals other than humans that was found to be incapable of synthesizing vitamin C. However a large number of birds were later found to likewise lack the ability to synthesize vitamin C.

 Pictures:

Chettikulangara, Kerala (2019)

TVH Taus, Chennai (2020)

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