The Palawan bulbul or grey-throated bulbul (''Alophoixus frater'') is a species of

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5,00 ...

in the family Pycnonotidae. It is endemic to

Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...

Island in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s and tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

Description

Ebird describes it as "A medium-sized bird of lowland and foothill forest and edge on Palawan and neighboring islands. Yellow below with an olive-green back, brown wings and tail, a gray cheek, and a white throat. Note the fairly stout bill and slightly flattened bushy crest. Somewhat similar to Palawan Babbler, but has a yellow belly, an obvious crest, and dark eyes. Voice consists of three descending high-pitched notes, or else a rattling trill followed by dry staccato notes. Until 2010, it was considered a subspecies of the grey-cheeked bulbul. The alternate name 'grey-throated bulbul' is also used by the western greenbul.

Ecology and behavior

No published information on its diet but has been observed and photographed feeding on fruit and berries Typically observed alone or in pairs. Birds collected in breeding condition with enlarged gonads in April to June. Nest and eggs are undescribed.

Habitat and conservation status

The species inhabits tropical moist lowland

primary forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without Disturbance (ecology), disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organizati ...

and secondary forest up to 1,150 meters above sea level. It is assessed as least-concern under the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

. The whole of

was designated as a Biosphere Reserve; however, protection and enforcement of laws has been difficult and these threats still continue. It occurs in the protected area of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

References

*Oliveros, C.H., and R.G. Moyle. 2010. Origin and diversification of Philippine bulbuls. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54: 822–832. Palawan bulbul Birds of Palawan Palawan bulbul {{Pycnonotidae-stub Endemic birds of the Philippines