8 inches. Male and female identical in appearance. The body is brown-black with a darker head carrying a black crest, erect when excited. The beak and legs are black. The undertail coverts are bright red, which earned him the name Red-vented Bulbul.
Category: Introduced Birds
Species native of Asia and introduced in the seventies in Tahiti. It is now present in Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine and Raiatea.
It has colonized very quickly all the existing areas on the island of Tahiti, from the seaside to the valleys, it is now present even in the cloud forests.
“pit pou, wit-wu” or “Pouit-pou” repeated several times. The species makes many other vocalizations.
To listen the red-vented Bulbul:
Insects, fruits, plant debris.
Has been studied in Fiji especially where it breeds from October to February, during the rainy season. This period appears to correspond to what was found on the island of Tahiti. Lays 1-3 eggs with little pinkish reddish brown stains on the wider end, (1 x 0.5 inches). Incubation lasts 11-13 days and the young birds takes off in the 12th day.
Original text by Caroline BLANVILLAIN – Supplements and update by various members of the SOP Manu.
Scientific Name: Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766)
Introduced species. Responsible for destruction of orchards, it is very aggressive with endemic birds including the Tahiti Monarch which is in Critical danger of extinction, it attacks the males and probably the nests.
The species was classified harmful in French Polynesia, its destruction is permitted and desirable. Not to introduce into a new island under any circumstances and eliminate as soon as possible. The species is on the list of species threatening biodiversity through territorial regulatory French Polynesia. It is “Least Concern” (LC) on the IUCN Red List and is ranked by this organization among the 100 most invasive species on the planet.