red-whiskered bulbul or Pycnonotus jocosus
Bubul, another exotic-looking bird found in a good number in Mumbai’s concrete Jungle. These birds are highly vocal with a very sweet voice. Well, at least the three kinds that I’ve seen do sing well. There is a large variety to this bird with different names such as Finsch’s Bulbul, White Throated Bulbul, Puff Throated Bulbul, Brown Eared Bulbul Gray Cheeked Bulbul, White Browed Bulbul, Red Vented Bulbul, and many more. You can find more information about this species here.
I’ve so far only seen 3 of these. Red Whiskered, Red Vented, and White Browed. Wish to see more species of this bird soon. This is an interesting species that lives mostly in open nests between bushes and trees. There’s also a nice little story about a Bulbul family that I had blogged about. The same can be read here. It was very interesting to see how one species of bird i.e. Oriental Magpie Robin, came to the rescue of Juvenile Red Whiskered Bubuls when they ventured out of their nest and wouldn’t know how to fly.
While most of the time I must have seen Red Vented Bulbul and Red Whiskered Bulbul birds in our locality at Deonar, Mumbai, one different species of Bulbuls was seen at Aksha  Beach, Malad, Mumbai and that was the White Browed Bulbul.
BULBUL’S FAVORITE BERRY
Must mention that I’ve got this plant in my garden named Solanum diphyllum, commonly known as twoleaf nightshade. This plant bears these yellow-colored tiny berries which I guess are very much liked by the Bulbuls and that makes these birds visit our garden very often. So just make a note that twoleaf nightshade plant is a good source to attract bulbuls in your garden. Apart from that, I’ve placed a few birdbaths which ensures a couple of Red Whiskered Bulbul frequent our garden for drinking water and a bath. So far, it has been amazing to have these visitors and listen to their sweet voices.
