Hypsipetes thompsoni
The White-headed Bulbul (Hypsipetes thompsoni) is a striking medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 20-25 cm (8-10 inches) in length and weighing around 35-50 grams. Its most distinctive feature is its pure white head and upper breast, which starkly contrasts with its otherwise dark olive-brown to sooty-grey body plumage. The underparts are usually a lighter grey, sometimes with a subtle yellowish wash on the flanks. A vibrant coral-red bill and similarly colored legs and feet provide ad...
Found primarily in evergreen and mixed deciduous broadleaf forests, often near forest edges or clearings. It typically inhabits mountainous and hilly regions, from elevations of 600 meters up to 2,000 meters (2,000-6,500 feet).
Omnivorous, feeding mainly on a combination of insects, small fruits, and berries. It actively gleans for insects and plucks fruits from trees and shrubs.
Diurnal, the White-headed Bulbul is an active arboreal forager, spending most of its time in the sub-canopy and canopy layers of trees and tall shrubs. It employs various techniques, including gleaning insects and fruits from foliage, and making short sallying flights to catch flying insects in m...
The White-headed Bulbul is endemic to mainland Southeast Asia, with its distribution primarily centered in the mountainous regions. Its breeding range extends across eastern Myanmar, northern and western Thailand, northern Laos, northern Vietnam, and southwestern China, specifically the southern ...
Least Concern
- Its striking white head, set against a dark body, gives it a truly unique appearance among Asian bulbuls, making it easily identifiable. - It was formerly considered a subspecies of the widespread Black Bulbul (*Hypsipetes leucocephalus*) before being recognized as a distinct species. - Despite...