AJP took this {photograph} of a Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster) in Hong Kong a few weeks in the past. That is the third most typical bulbul in Hong Kong and noticeably a lot much less frequent than once we lived there within the Nineteen Sixties. I believe the clue is in its habitat: ‘scrubland and thinly wooded hillsides’. The hills definitely fitted that description within the Nineteen Sixties following the gathering of something for firewood throughout the Japanese occupation however since then the bushes have grown significantly, thus lowering the suitability of the hillsides for this species—and in addition reducing off former acquainted views for walkers on Hong Kong island, for instance. The frequent title that was utilized in Hong Kong was Crimson-vented Bulbul, a reputation that additionally applies to a different species, P. cafer, largely confined to the Indian subcontinent.
