Just one more berry

A Black-capped Bulbul is out foraging

“What? Oh you want to chat? It’ll have to be quick. Mating season just started this month and I have to look good. So I’m out eating only the juiciest insects and berries. I’m staying off snails for now, a bit fattening you see. By the way, I’m Morrison Larson Rutherford, but you can call me Morris. Oh, you thought I was a girl? Yes I am aware all Black-capped Bulbuls look alike. We all have an intense, unglossed black head, yellow underparts, and dusky olive-green upperparts. But if you look closely, you will see that all the males, just like me, have a red iris and all the females have a brown one.”

Fun Facts

“Fascinatingly, we’re not found anywhere else in the world. Yep, we’re endemic to Sri Lanka! You wouldn’t have guessed that since we’re found almost everywhere in the country. We love open woodlands, broken and patchy forests, and even gardens in cities and towns. Basically, anywhere that isn’t super dry. Unlike some other birds, we’re not endangered. Why would we be? There’s plenty of food, our cup-like nests are safe in the trees and nobody really wants to eat us. Also, people like our singing voices. I’m sure you’ve heard the popular hits cherkit-cherkit, chink-ut, chink-ut, and pu’u-pu’u-pu’u-pu-wit? Aha, I knew you had. I have to go now, there’s a hottie in that bush over there. Catch you later!”

Story of the Photo

Dilum was chilling at the lookout point in the Mahoora Tented Safari Camp in Yala when he got this beautiful shot of the Bulbul.