Red-whiskered Bulbul

The red-whiskered, or crested, bulbul is a resident frugivore native to Asia, found mainly in tropical Asia, about 20 cm long. It has brown upperparts and whitish underparts with buff flanks and a dark spur running onto the breast at shoulder level, with a tall pointed black crest, a red face patch and a thin black moustachial line. The long brown tail has white terminal feather tips, and the vent area is red (Wikipedia, general species account).

It has a loud three- or four-note call, a sharp kink-a-joo, also transcribed as pettigrew or pleased to meet you, and a scolding chatter for a song. It often perches conspicuously, especially in the mornings, calling from the tops of trees. The breeding season is spread out, peaking from December to May in southern India and March to October in northern India, and clutches typically contain two or three eggs. Introduced to Sydney in 1880, it became well established across the suburbs by 1920. SoIB 2023 rates it a Low conservation priority, a resident of non-specialised habitat with a Very Large range of about 1.02 million km² and inconclusive trends (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).