Bare-faced bulbul

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Bare-faced bulbul
Bare-faced Bulbul1(Nok hualon).jpg
Bare-faced bulbuls in Na Hin National Park, Laos
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pycnonotidae
Genus: Nok
Fuchs et al., 2018
Species:
N. hualon
Binomial name
Nok hualon
(Woxvold, Duckworth & Timmins, 2009)
Pycnonotus hualon distribution map.png
Synonyms
  • Pycnonotus hualon

The bare-faced bulbul (Nok hualon) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It was newly described from central Laos in 2009. It is one of the very few Asian songbirds with a bald (featherless) face and is the first new species of bulbul to be described from Asia in almost a century. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

A sketch of bare-faced bulbul Bare-faced Bulbul.jpg
A sketch of bare-faced bulbul

The species epithet hualon is from the Lao word for "bald-headed". A 2018 molecular phylogenetic study of the bulbuls suggested that the species does not fit in the clade containing the core Pycnonotus and stood apart suggesting its placement in a new genus Nok from Lao language for "bird" as Nok hualon. [3]

Description

The mainly olive-green bare-faced bulbul is distinctive in having a bare pink face with blueish skin around the eyes. The two specimens so far collected were around 20 cm in length and weighed 32-40 g. The breast and belly are fawn-grey, the uppersides olive and the throat is off-white. [4] According to researchers, its call is a "dry bubbly tweet".

Habitat

The bare-faced bulbul is known only from the limestone karst region near Pha Lom in central Laos. The area is characterised by steep terrain with bare limestone and low (less than 4 m in height) deciduous trees and shrubs. It seems likely that the species is restricted entirely to this habitat, though it may occur at other sites in Laos with similar habitats. Observations of similar birds were made in 1995 at another site. Limestone karst is the habitat of several newly discovered endemic species, including the unusual Laotian rock rat. [4]

Behaviour

The bare-faced bulbul is mainly arboreal but sometimes perches on rocks on the steep hillsides. It is a conspicuous species, foraging during the day in pairs or as singles. Single birds tend to call regularly, and will link up with another before flying to a new area to forage. They have not been observed to join mixed-species feeding flocks. The breeding behaviour of this species has not yet been observed. [4]

Status and conservation

The bare-faced bulbul was assessed for the first time in 2010 by BirdLife International as of Least Concern, on the basis that the species has a large range, and there is insufficient evidence on population trend and size. [5] In the paper describing the species it was suggested that it be listed as data deficient until further surveys of likely habitat were undertaken. [4] The limestone karst in which it lives is threatened by quarrying and habitat degradation caused by overgrazing. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulbul</span> Family of birds

The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical Asia to Indonesia, and north as far as Japan. A few insular species occur on the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean. There are 166 species in 32 genera. While different species are found in a wide range of habitats, the African species are predominantly found in rainforest, whereas Asian bulbuls are predominantly found in more open areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-browed bulbul</span> Species of bird

The yellow-browed bulbul, or golden-browed bulbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in the forests of southern India and Sri Lanka. The yellow-browed bulbul is mainly yellow on the underside and olive above with a distinct yellow brow. They are easily located by their loud calls but tend to skulk within foliage below the forest canopy. While its taxonomic classification has changed over time, it is currently the sole species within the monotypic genus Acritillas which is closely related to Hemixos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-browed bulbul</span> Species of bird

The white-browed bulbul is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in Sri Lanka and peninsular India. Largely olive coloured above with whitish underparts, it has a pale supercilium and a yellow vent. They are found in dense scrub habitats, where they skulk within vegetation and can be difficult to see although their loud and distinct burst of calls is distinctive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-crested bulbul</span> Species of bird

The black-crested bulbul is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found from the Indian subcontinent to southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-headed bulbul</span> Species of bird

The grey-headed bulbul is a member of the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in south-western India, and found from Goa south to Tamil Nadu at altitudes up to 1200m. It is found in dense reeds or thickets mainly near rivers and swampy areas inside forests. They have a distinctive call that reveals their presence inside dense vegetation where they are hard to spot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-throated bulbul</span> Species of songbird

The yellow-throated bulbul is a species of songbird in the bulbul family of passerine birds. The species is endemic to southern peninsular India. They are found on scrub habitats on steep, rocky hills many of which are threatened by granite quarrying. It is confusable only with the white-browed bulbul with which its range overlaps but is distinctively yellow on the head and throat apart from the yellow vent. The calls of this species are very similar to that of the white-browed bulbul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light-vented bulbul</span> Species of bird

The light-vented bulbul, also called the Chinese bulbul, is a species of bird in the bulbul family found in central and southern China, Hong Kong, Macao, northern Vietnam, southern Japan and Taiwan, with occasional records from South Korea. A common species of songbird that favors lightly wooded habitats, it can frequently be seen in towns, suburbs and urban parks within its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Laos</span>

The wildlife of Laos encompasses the animals and plants found in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a landlocked country in southeastern Asia. Part of the country is mountainous and much of it is still clad in tropical broadleaf forest. It has a great variety of animal and plant species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-cheeked greenbul</span> Species of bird

The stripe-cheeked greenbul is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in south-eastern Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sooty-headed bulbul</span> Species of songbird

The sooty-headed bulbul is a species of songbird in the Bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-eastern Asia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<i>Pycnonotus</i> Genus of birds

Pycnonotus is a genus of frugivorous passerine birds in the bulbul family Pycnonotidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-bellied bulbul</span> Species of songbird

The grey-bellied bulbul is a species of songbird in the bulbul family. It is found on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-throated bulbul</span> Species of songbird

The stripe-throated bulbul, or streak-throated bulbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in south-eastern Asia where its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forest and tropical moist montane forest. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaly-breasted bulbul</span> Species of songbird

The scaly-breasted bulbul is a species of songbird in the bulbul family. It is found from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spot-necked bulbul</span> Species of songbird

The spot-necked bulbul is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in Sumatra. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss. The spot-necked bulbul was originally described in the genus Ixos and later placed in Pycnonotus. Alternate names for the spot-necked bulbul include the olive-crowned bulbul, olive-necked bulbul and small white-streaked bulbul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straw-headed bulbul</span> Species of songbird

The straw-headed bulbul is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, arable land, plantations, and rural gardens. It is threatened by habitat loss and poaching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flame-throated bulbul</span> Species of bird

The flame-throated bulbul is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds and the state bird of Goa. It is found only in the forests of the Western Ghats in southern India. Formerly included as a subspecies of Pycnonotus flaviventris it has since been elevated to the status of a full species. They are olive-backed with yellow undersides, a triangular orange-red throat and a white iris that stands out against the contrasting black head. They are usually seen foraging in groups in the forest canopy for berries and small insects. They have a call often with two or three tinkling notes that can sound similar to those produced by the red-whiskered bulbul. The species has been referred to in the past by names such as ruby-throated bulbul and black-headed bulbul, but these are ambiguous and could apply to other species such as Rubigula flaviventris and R. dispar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limestone leaf warbler</span> Species of bird

The limestone leaf warbler is a species of warbler in the family Phylloscopidae. When this species was first seen, beginning in 1994, it was mistaken for the similar sulphur-breasted warbler. It is smaller than the sulphur-breasted warbler, and has more rounded wings. The plumage is almost identical, with comparisons showing only a slightly colder yellow below and a greyer tinge above. Although smaller, the bill is proportionally larger than that of the sulphur-breasted warbler. Accurate measurements are not available; the holotype has a wing length of 5.2 cm (2.0 in); the paratype a tail length of 3.7 cm (1.5 in) and a bill length of 1.39 cm (0.55 in). The species is known to occur in northern Vietnam and Laos, and potentially also occurs in southern China as well. The species name, calciatilis, means "dwelling on limestone", which along with its common name is a reference to its natural habitat, which is broadleaved evergreen and semi-evergreen forest growing around limestone karst mountains. The bare-faced bulbul, described in 2009, was found in the karst of the same region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashy-fronted bulbul</span> Species of bird

The ashy-fronted bulbul is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is endemic to Palawan in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Until 2010, the ashy-fronted bulbul was considered as a subspecies of the olive-winged bulbul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolikhamsai province</span> Province of Laos

Bolikhamsai is a province of Laos. Pakxan, Thaphabat, Pakkading, Borikhane, Viengthong, and Khamkeut are its districts and Pakxan is its capital city. The province is the site of the Nam Theun 2 Dam, the country's largest hydroelectric project.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Nok hualon". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22735824A95119271. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22735824A95119271.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. "Bulbuls « IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 2017-04-01.
  3. Fuchs, Jérôme; Pasquet, Eric; Stuart, Bryan L; Woxvold, Iain A; Duckworth, J. W; Bowie, Rauri C. K (2018). "Phylogenetic affinities of the enigmatic Bare-faced Bulbul Pycnonotus hualon with description of a new genus". Ibis. 160 (3): 659. doi:10.1111/ibi.12580.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 I.A. Woxvold; J.W. Duckworth & R.J. Timmins (2009). "An unusual new bulbul (Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae) from the limestone karst of Lao PDR" (PDF). Forktail. 25: 1–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-26.
  5. Birdlife Species Factsheet