Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pycnonotidae
Genus: Pycnonotus
Species: P. cafer
Binomial name: Pycnonotus cafer
Synonyms: Molpastes cafer, Molpastes haemorrhous, Pycnonotus pygaeus
Common name: Red-vented Bulbul, Bulbul,
The Pycnonotus cafer is a member of the bulbul family of passerines. It is resident breeder across the Indian Subcontinent, including Sri Lanka extending east to Burma and parts of Tibet. It has been introduced in many other parts of the world and has established itself in the wild on several Pacific islands including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and Hawaii. It has also established itself in parts of Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand. The Red-vented Bulbul is easily identified by its short crest giving the head a squarest appearance. The body is dark brown with a scaly pattern while the head is darker or black. The rump is white while the vent is red. The black tail is tipped in white.
It is included in the list of the world's 100 worst invasive alien species.
It was reported seen in New Plymouth, January 2014.
This species is being investigated in New Zealand and is an unwanted organism under the Biosecurity Act 1993. If you see this bird, report it to the Ministry for Primary Industry Pests and Diseases Hotline on 0800 80 99 66.
For more details visit: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests/red-vented-bulbul
Pycnonotus cafer causes significant damage to fruit and vegetable crops and aggressively chase and attack other birds. They will feed on native fruits, berries, insects, flower nectar, seeds and buds displacing species such as Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae (Kererū) by their aggressive competitive nature. They may also help in the spread of seeds of other invasive species.
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