Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – Dark-capped Bulbul

THIS ubiquitous bird can be spotted daily in almost every garden in the Highway area. It’s colloquially known by its nickname ‘Toppie’, much to the dismay of the purists who prefer to stick to its formal name – Dark-capped Bulbul.

ALSO READ: Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – Red-Capped Robin-Chat

Description

At 20 to 22 cm in length, the Dark-capped Bulbul is a small bird, larger than a House Sparrow but smaller than a Laughing Dove. It is mostly a brown colour with a very dark head and a dark, pointed crest, which explains its Toppie nickname. The underparts are whitish brown with very noticeable yellow plumage around the vent. It has dark brown eyes while the legs and feet are all black. The black bill is thin and short and has a down-curving upper mandible. Males and females are identical in colouration with the males slightly larger than the females.

The Dark-capped Bulbul is very similar in appearance to the African Red-eyed Bulbul and the Cape Bulbul, but neither of those species are found in the Highway area, so identification should not be a problem.

Distribution

The Dark-capped Bulbul is found on the eastern parts of South Africa from Gqeberha northwards, including Gauteng and Northwest provinces. It does not occur in the Western Cape, nor in the drier central and western parts of the country.

Habitat

The Dark-capped Bulbul is very much at home in most urban gardens, but its natural habitat is bushy areas or forest edges. They’re seldom found in forested areas, though.

Feeding

The Dark-capped Bulbul’s diet consists mainly of a variety of fruits, seeds, nectar, petals and arthropods. They enjoy nectar so can often be spotted probing flowers or plucking at fruit. They are also fond of catching flying insects mid-air.

Breeding

The Dark-capped Bulbul is a monogamous species and mates for life. They are very territorial and will aggressively defend their territory in a manner that belies their small size and general chirpy appearance. The males can viciously peck and scratch each other, and fighting pairs have been observed interlocking their claws and falling to the ground.

The nest is built by the female and consists of a tidy, well-built cup nest, usually in the outer edges of a tree canopy. Incubation is done exclusively by the female, but both adults will care for the young once they hatch.

Predators and threats

The Dark-capped Bulbul is plentiful in its territory and is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Some cuckoo species do parasitise the nests, leaving the Dark-capped Bulbul to unwittingly raise the cuckoo’s young.

Local information

The best place to find the Dark-capped Bulbul is in your very own garden or backyard. They are present in the Highway area all year round.

Interesting facts

This species is very active and very noisy, and it has a rather non-melodious call, sometimes described as ‘quick-chop-too-quick’ or, again, ‘doctor-quick, doctor-quick, be-quick be-quick’.

The Dark-capped Bulbul is reasonably gregarious and can often be seen in pairs or small groups which collectively can make a lot of noise.