All Pictures © M.Venkataswamappa
The Yellow-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus xantholaemus is a beautiful bird endemic to South India, restricted mainly to inland hills of the Deccan Plateau. Its typical habitat comprises boulder-studded slopes interspersed with open scrub. Very little was known about the nesting habits of this bird till May 1999. For the first time, my friend and co-Photographer M.Venkataswamappa has successfully captured the nesting habits of this mysterious bird on film in June-August 1999. The above samples of the pictures show the complete cycle of nesting from laying of eggs till feeding of the nestlings.
We were observing this bird for quite some time in some hills of south India(Horsley Hills in Andhra Pradesh, Nandi Hills in Karnataka and some more hillocks around Bangalore), but were thrilled to spot a pair of them in a hillock 70km from Bangalore in March 1999. The birds were very active and we kept observing the pair regularly thereafter. In June 1999, Venkataswamappa found one of the birds carrying the nesting material. He then followed the bird and found the nest and successfully photographed the whole nesting cycle.
Here are some observations made about the nesting of the bird :
The Nest : An untidy construction of loosely placed twigs and pieces of hay bounded together by cobwebs and lined with fine fibres. It was placed in the fork of a sparsely leafed bush close to the ground. It was built next to a huge boulder and sheltered by an overhanging bush. The nest building activity lasted for around 8 days.
Eggs : Two eggs were laid, one per day. The eggs were whitish, blotched with purple and brick-red markings forming a dense ring around the broader end.
Incubation : Only one bird(presumed to be female) incubated the eggs. The presumed male always remained outside the nest area, usually sitting on an elevated perch scanning the surroundings. The eggs hatched » 20 days after incubation began.
Brooding : Only the presumed female was observed feeding nestlings for 7 days after hatching. During this period the presumed male was supplying the food to the female outside the nest for feeding the nestlings. Once the brooding of the nestlings by the female ceased, both parents were observed feeding the nestlings.
Nestlings' diet : It included insects and berries.
After each feeding the faecal sacs were removed and swallowed by the parents. The nestlings fledged 13 days after hatching.