1/4 Vernacular Name BULBUL, COLLARED FINCH-BILL (aka: collared finch-bill bulbul; Swinhoe’s finch-billed bulbul, black-headed finchbill; Chinese finchbill) GEOGRAPHIC RANGE Asia: widespread in southern China, northern Vietnam and Taiwan. HABITAT Undergrowth in bamboo, lowland clearings, and hillside scrub generally to 1,200’- 4,500’ elevation. CONSERVATION STATUS IUCN: Least Concern (2016). Population Trend: Stable. COOL FACTS The collared finchbill gets its name from the appearance of a white collar around its neck, and its thicker, finch-like bill. It is not classified as a finch. Its “generalist” type of beak allows it to feed on a wide variety of food items: hard seed, as well as insects and fruit. It is thin-skinned and will shed feathers readily when handled. This bird is a member of a family of birds known as bulbuls. Bulbuls are a group of approximately 130 species of medium-sized songbirds inhabiting Africa, the Middle East, through Asia, and Indonesia. MEDIAN LIFE EXPECTANCY Unknown. DIET In wild: insects, fruit/berries and grass seeds. In zoo: Bulbul, Collared Finch-bill 2/4 ENEMIES - DEFENSE Enemies: snakes, lizards, small raptors, crows and predatory mammals, such as rats and cats. Defense: alarm call; flight. Outside of the breeding season, they form small flocks, which create safety in numbers. MATING - CARE OF THE YOUNG Monogamous. Breeding season: Mar.-Jul., often producing two broods per season. Nests: located in scrub/bramble 1.5’-10’ above the ground. Woven of bark, leaves and grasses, producing a deep strong-walled cup. Clutch: 3-4 eggs. Chicks: helpless and blind for the first few days (altricial and nidicolous). SOCIAL INTERACTION Outside of the breeding season, they are social and may form flocks of 20-30 individuals. Communication, Auditory: a repetitive 3-6 tri-syllable “ chi-wi-chi” with first and last note lower than middle, repeated 3-6 times. Also a jumble of notes in short phrases: “ brr-bee- boo-brr-bee” and “ bip-birp-jirp-churee ”. LIFE STYLE Activity Period: diurnal. Locomotion: short wings and a longer tail promote flight mobility in tight bramble/brush habitat. Non-migratory. Has a preference for scrub-covered slopes, clearings and broken forests. In agricultural areas, they are reported to cause some damage to red bean and millet crops. PHYSICAL General Description: a short-necked, slender drab songbird without a crest. Size. Length: 6”. Females are slightly smaller than males. Sexes: Very similar. Female slightly smaller than male. Color, Adults. Body: drab olive. Belly: yellow. Head: black. Nape: dark gray. Cheeks: streaked with white or grey. Nostril: white spot. Base of lower beak: white spot. A distinctive broad band of white ( the collar ) separates the head from the olive breast. Tail: broad black terminal band. Color, Immatures: similar to the adults. Head: gray. Cheeks: less streaking. Bill: ivory in color. Finch-like, but slightly longer with a downward curve at the end giving it a somewhat “hawkish” appearance. Wings: short and rounded. Tail: long. Legs: pale brown. Bulbul, Collared Finch-bill 3/4 TAXONOMY Phylum / Subphylum Chordata / Vertebrata Class Aves Order / Suborder Passeriformes/ Passeri Family Pycnonotidae Genus / Species Spizixos semitorques “Pycnonotus” means “dense-backed”, and is thought to be a reference to the feathers in this area. REFERENCES - del Hoyo, Josep, Andrew Elliott, and Jordi Sargatal (eds). 2005. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 10: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. - DeShauensee, Randolphe Mayer. 1984. The Birds of China . Washington D.C: Smithsonian Institute Press. - Severinghous, Sheldon R., and Kenneth Turner Blackshaw. 1976. A New Guide to the Birds of Taiwan. Taiwan: Mei Ya Publications, Inc. - BirdLife International (2012) Species factsheet: Spizixos semitorques. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25/10/2012. - Bulbul: Pycnonotidae: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pycnonotidae. - Spizixos semitorques: Internet bird collection: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/collared-finchbill-spizixos-semitorques?only=videos. - The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2016-1. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 02 July 2016. Prepared by: Phil Witman, docent Date: 02-19-09 Photo by: Irene Evangelista, docent Map by: Dave Schaffer and Bob Sloane, docents Approved by: Date: Reformatted by: Judith Ehrman, docent Date: 06-16-12 Bulbul, Collared Finch-bill 4/4 This page left intentionally blank. .