The puff-throated bulbul is a songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1870. It is found in Southeast Asia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Region
Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across mainland Southeast Asia, especially in lowland to foothill evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. It frequents forest edges, secondary growth, bamboo thickets, and riverine gallery forest. The species adapts reasonably well to degraded habitats provided there is dense understory. It is typically found in the mid-story but will descend to lower levels to forage at fruiting shrubs.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The puff-throated bulbul can flare its pale throat feathers when calling or displaying, giving the species its name. It is a forest songbird of Indochina, usually staying within dense foliage but often joining mixed-species flocks. Like many bulbuls, it combines a fruit- and insect-based diet, helping disperse seeds in the forest. Its fluty, mellow song carries well through humid broadleaf woodland.
Puff-throated Bulbul
Temperament
quiet and skulking, often confiding at forest edges
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between perches within the forest
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups and frequently associates with mixed-species foraging flocks. Breeding pairs build a neat cup nest in low shrubs or saplings, typically concealed in dense foliage. Both parents participate in nest building and feeding the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A mellow series of rich, fluty whistles and bubbling phrases, delivered from mid-canopy perches. Calls include soft chacks and thin contact notes used to keep in touch within pairs or flocks.
Plumage
Olive-brown upperparts with paler, buffy underparts and a conspicuously pale, fluffy throat that can be puffed out. Slightly crested head with soft, plain facial features and a clean throat contrasting with the breast. Feathers appear smooth and slightly glossy on the upperparts, with softer, looser throat feathers.
Diet
Feeds on a mix of small fruits and berries, including figs and other soft fruits. Supplements its diet with insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates gleaned from leaves and twigs. Will occasionally sally short distances to snatch flying insects. By consuming fruit, it acts as an important seed disperser in forest ecosystems.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the understory to mid-story of humid broadleaf forest, along edges, and in secondary growth. Often concentrates at fruiting trees and shrubs and forages quietly in bamboo or thickets along streams.
