Red-whiskered Bulbul

• It is considered one of the most damaging invasive alien birds in the world: in Hawaii, Mauritius and several Indian Ocean islands it damages fruit crops and spreads the seeds of invasive plants that displace the native flora.
• In southern Asia it has been kept for centuries as a cage bird and a fighting bird: in some regions contests between males were organised, a tradition that helped spread it around the world.
• It is an excellent indicator of urbanisation: it thrives in gardens and on the edges of towns and disappears from primary forest, exactly the opposite of most birds in its family.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat & environment

Scrub, gardens, parks and farmland of southern Asia; introduced on numerous islands and in many cities

Size at birth

Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent

Sexual maturity

12 months

Gestation / incubation

12 days

Litter / clutch size

2.5 (average)

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pycnonotus_jocosus

Best time: All year round in southern and South-East Asia, and in the introduced populations; by day, in gardens, farmland and along forest edges.