Blue-wattled bulbul

The blue-wattled bulbul (Pycnonotus nieuwenhuisii) is a disputed songbird species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. The specific epithet commemorates Dutch explorer Anton Willem Nieuwenhuis. The bird is endemic to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Blue-wattled bulbul

Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pycnonotidae
Genus: Pycnonotus
Species:
P. nieuwenhuisii
Binomial name
Pycnonotus nieuwenhuisii
(Finsch, 1901)
Synonyms
  • Euptilosus nieuwenhuisii
  • Poliolophus Nieuwenhuisii

Taxonomy and systematics

The status of this rarely seen bird is not known, primarily because it is not clear whether it is in fact a distinct species, or a natural hybrid between the black-headed bulbul and the grey-bellied bulbul or other closely related bulbul. Alternate names for the blue-wattled bulbul include the Malayasian wattled bulbul, Nieuwenhuis's bulbul and wattled bulbul.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized:[2]

  • P. n. inexspectatus - (Chasen, 1939): Found on Sumatra
  • P. n. nieuwenhuisii - (Finsch, 1901): Found on Borneo

Status

It may be threatened by habitat loss but is only known from two specimens collected in 1900 and 1937, and few observations. Five sightings of the blue-wattled bulbul were recorded in Batu Apoi Forest Reserve in 1992.[3]

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.