Ashy Bulbul

The ashy bulbul is a sleek, crested forest bulbul with grey upperparts, white throat, black facial mask, tawny ear-coverts and a distinct yellow panel in the wing. The crest varies from greyish to black among subspecies and is often raised while the bird calls; the throat feathers may also be puffed outward. This combination of mask, warm ear patch and yellow wing panel makes it readily distinguishable (Shanghai Birding species account).

It ranges from the Himalayas through northeastern India, southern China and mainland Southeast Asia. Moist submontane forest from roughly 700 to 1,800 m is characteristic habitat. Noisy parties travel through lower, middle and upper forest levels, searching for fruit and insects. Life-history compilations report a clutch of two or three eggs and incubation of about 13–14 days. Birds may remain resident while making local movements among fruiting trees within the hill-forest landscape (Shanghai Birding species account; Oiseaux.net species data).