Life History and Breeding Behaviour of Red-Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) in Urban Area of Munger District, Bihar, India

Abstract

Munger district in Bihar is home to the Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary that supports diverse flora and fauna, including hot springs, and a variety of wild animal and bird species. The red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer; Linnaeus, 1766) is described as Least Concern in IUCN Red list of avian species. The family Pycnonotidae is indeed a group of frugivorous bulbul bird and is the largest group of passerine birds with about 138 species and eight subspecies found in all regions of world and across the Indian subcontinent. Their occurrence has been found in all habitats like cultivated lands, open forests, plains, dry shrubs, gardens, herbs, grasslands and also resides nearby human settlement areas. The height of bulbul’s nest was in the range of 6 ½ - 9 ½ ft from ground in urban area near human settlements. Breeding behaviour in Pycnonotus cafer was noticed during April to July. It prefers small, leafy and dense plant species like Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Gudhal), Combretum indicum (Madhumalti), Jasminum auriculatum (Jasmine), Carica papaya (Papaya), Clitoria ternatea (Aparajita) for nesting site. Highest percentages of nests were found with clutch size three followed by clutch size two and one in rare case. The average length & breadth of the eggs are 21.97 ±2.722 mm & 16.10 ±1.36 mm respectively. The red-vented bulbul is an omnivorous bird. They generally forage and feed on fruits of native bushy and small plants with bright coloured flower with smell and nectar. They also feed upon insects. During the study period total 25 nests of red-vented bulbul were observed, 4 months (April to July) every year from 2021 to 2025. The findings on life history and the breeding behaviour of red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) have been publicly reported / documented for the very first time in the urban area of Munger district of Bihar in India.