The square-tailed bulbul (''Hypsipetes ganeesa'') 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

bulbul The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropic ...

family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-western India and Sri Lanka. 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 ...

is subtropical or 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 ...

s. It was previously classified as a subspecies of the

black bulbul The black bulbul (''Hypsipetes leucocephalus''), also known as the Himalayan black bulbul or Asian black bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found primarily in the Himalayas, its range stretching from Pakistan east ...

Taxonomy and systematics

Alternative names for the square-tailed bulbul include the south Indian black bulbul and the square-tailed black bulbul.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are currently recognized: * Sri Lanka bulbul (''H. g. humii'') - ( Whistler & Kinnear, 1932): The Sri Lankan race has a heavier bill than the Indian bulbul. Found in Sri Lanka * Indian bulbul (''H. g. ganeesa'') -

Sykes "Sykes" is a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origins, which generally has topographical roots as it original linguistic origin. The name derives from the Old Norse word "sík" or "síkja", meaning a small stream, marshy hollow, or gully. It eventua ...

, 1832: Found in south-western India

Description

The square-tailed bulbul lacks the black streak behind the eye and on the ear-coverts that is present in the

Behaviour and ecology

In southern India, nesting activity begins in February and rises to a peak in May. The eggs hatch after an incubation period of 12 to 13 days and the chicks fledge after about 11 or 12 days. Populations make movements in response to the monsoon. Nest predators include birds of prey and snakes such as the

black-winged kite The black-winged kite (''Elanus caeruleus''), also known as the black-shouldered kite (not to be confused with the closely-related Australian species of the same name), is a small diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae best known for it ...

and oriental ratsnake. Adult square-tailed bulbuls have been known to be preyed upon by the

crested goshawk The crested goshawk (''Lophospiza trivirgata'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae that is widely distributed in tropical Asia. It was formerly placed in the genus ''Accipiter''. Taxonomy The crested goshawk was formally described in 1 ...

References

*Rasmussen, P.C., and J.C. Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia. The Ripley guide. Volume 2: attributes and status. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions, Washington D.C. and Barcelona. Hypsipetes Birds described in 1832 Taxa named by William Henry Sykes {{Pycnonotidae-stub