Photo: observe-syz, via iNaturalist, public domain / CC0. Unmodified apart from resizing.
Region
Japan and temperate East Asia
Habitat
forest
Colour
green, grey, yellow
Size
medium (20 to 50 cm)
IUCN status
Least Concern
IOC breeding range
OR (ne India, Myanmar, n Thailand)
Identification
A rare thick-billed bulbul: the bill is short and deep, ivory white, like a finch's; a forward-pointing black crest, a grey-white forehead and grey cheeks; olive green above, yellow-green below, with a black band at the tail tip. Known locally as the crested parrot-billed bulbul. A loud, pleasant voice.
Habitat
Montane broadleaf forest, secondary open woodland, scrubby grass slopes and ravine forest at 1,200–2,800 m, also fields and orchards at village edges; in flocks on the tops of bushes, eating fruit, seeds and insects.
Distribution
North-east India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, northern Thailand and Vietnam, and the hills of Sichuan and Yunnan in China, common in the mountains of western and southern Yunnan. Absent from Japan and Singapore.
Season and behaviour
Resident, seen all year; in winter larger flocks gather on bush tops and fruit trees, the easiest time; breeds from April to June.
Photography tips
These are the FilmAnalysis editors' notes, not content from the sources.
It likes the tops of bushes and small trees, where side light makes the black crest and white bill stand out: wait with a long lens for it to land in the light. The olive body has colour only in morning light and goes grey under cloud. When a flock feeds in a fruit tree, a medium telephoto and bursts put several birds in one frame.
Field ethics: keep a distance at which the bird does not change its behaviour; never approach or publish nest sites; no baiting, playback or flash; never clear vegetation around a nest; follow reserve rules and stay on paths.
Photographic styles
Green and grey of the Yunnan hills; portraits of thick bill and black crest.
Similar species
Collared finchbill (black head, white collar, lowlands of central and southern China); other crested bulbuls have thin bills.
Related badge
None yet. No validated photo recognition exists for this species, so no badge is tied to it: a name in the encyclopedia is not evidence in a photograph.
The illustration is original FilmAnalysis artwork. The photograph is from iNaturalist; its licence and author are under it.
