Dark-capped Bulbul ( Pycnonotus tricolor, family: Pycnonotidae)

Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Black-eyed Bulbul

dark capped bulbul kruger national park birds The Dark-capped Bulbul (Latin name Pycnonotus tricolor) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 568 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 766 also a picture of the Dark-capped Bulbul on page 817. The Dark-capped Bulbul belongs to the family of birds classified as Pycnonotidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Dark-capped Bulbul is also known by these other names: Common Bulbul, Black-capped Bulbul, Common Garden Bulbul, Yellow-vented Bulbul.

 

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Dark-capped Bulbul is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident

In terms of distribution of the Dark-capped Bulbul in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Dark-capped Bulbul : see above distribution map.

The Dark-capped Bulbul.

Dark Caped Bulbul Kruger ParkIdentification assistance for this avian species ...

The Dark-capped Bulbul is a smallish bird but somewhat larger than a house sparrow. The height of the Dark-capped Bulbul is about 22 cms and its weight is about 40 gms

The male and female Dark-capped Bulbul have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is brown.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is black.
  • Throat is grey.
  • Back is brown.
  • Legs are black.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Dark-capped Bulbul feeds on the ground, on the wing and in foliage mainly

Invertebrates

Fruits

Seeds

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Dark-capped Bulbul is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Pycnonotus tricolor will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Dark-capped Bulbul is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are brown in colour and number between 2 to 3

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Dark-capped Bulbul are: woodlands . The Dark-capped Bulbul is also at home in wetland and bushveld areas.

You will normally see the Dark-capped Bulbul in pairs or flocks and not as single birds.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Ikhwebula

Zulu ... iPhothwe/iPogota

Afrikaans ...Swartoogtiptol

German ... Gelbsteiblbl, Graublbl

Portuguese ... Tuta-negra

French ... Bulbul tricolore

Dutch ... Grauwe Buulbuul

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 568

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za