Status of Bulbul in Bangladesh

Abstract

Bulbul is a beautiful passerine song bird. The study was conducted during the period of January to November 2015 to know the available species of bulbul in Bangladesh with their feeding, breeding, behavior and other related features. The study was conducted on the basis of information available on internet, books, journals, periodicals, magazine and direct observation of bulbuls along with their nesting and other behaviors in different roosting sites of bulbul in different areas of Bangladesh. There are about 138 species of bulbul under 27 genera around the world. Among them, only 11 species under 7 genera are available in Bangladesh. These species are Pycnonotus flaviventris, Pycnonotus atriceps, Pycnonotus flavescens, Pycnonotus cafer, Pycnonotus jocosus, Spizixos canifrons, Alophoixus flaveolus, Iole virescens, Hemixos flavala, Ixos mcclellandii and Hypsipetes leucocephalus. Most of the species are frugivorous and insectivorous in nature. They feeds on berries, small fruirs, seeds, buds, nectar and insects. They are mostly habitat in open forest, hilly woodlands, gardens, orchards and secondary forests of the country. They prefer midium sized trees for nest construction. The breeding season of bulbuls is April to October and most of them are monogamous. The average clutch size was found one to four. The egg’s color was found pinkish white to purplish brown depending on the species of bulbul. The average incubation period was found 12 days with a range of 11 to 14 days. Bulbuls are considered as noisy bird or pest for crops in Bangladesh. Among the health problem, colibacillosis, coccidiosis, lice infestation, hemoprotozoal disease, accidental problem were common in bulbul. Although bulbul is not yet considered as endangered or vulnerable species but now a days their number is decreasing in Bangladesh. However, to maintain the ecological balance this beautiful species of bird should be conserved.