Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Comments: Eats mainly fruits, also flowers, buds, nectar, seeds, and some insects. Fruits of "Brazilian pepper tree" important in Florida. (Terres 1980). Nestlings initially fed soft-bodied insects and caterpillars, later berries and fruits.

"The Red-whiskered Bulbul is another of the more familiar birds of our gardens and countryside, being found wherever trees afford the prospect of food and shelter, not uncommonly in the heart of noisy cities. Its joyous, querulous notes may be heard at all hours of the day. The birds go about in pairs, """"but numbers will collect at some tree or shrub in fruit. Their diet consists principally of berries— those of the Lantana being a favourite— but they also devour a considerable number of spiders, insects and caterpillars."

Maximum longevity: 11.1 years (wild)

Eggs have been recorded in March in Florida; nests January-August in Hawaii. Clutch size is 2-4 (usually 3); 2-3 broods per year in India. Incubation, by both sexes, lasts 12-14 days. Young are tended by both parents, leave nest at about 13 days, independent at 3 weeks.