The red-whiskered bulbul is native to Asia but has been introduced to many areas of the world where populations have established themselves, including the U.S. locations of Los Angeles, where I have seen them several times, Hawaii and Florida. There are nine subspecies and I have no idea which subspecies are found in Los Angeles, where I have seen them at the LA County Arboretum and the Huntington Library.
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| At the LA County Arboretum in July 2020. |
Wikipedia describes it as about 7.9 inches long, with brown upperparts, whitish underparts, buff flanks and a dark spur running on to the breast at shoulder level. It has a tall pointed black crest, red face patch and thin black moustachial line. The tail is long and brown with white terminal feather tips and a red vent. Juveniles lack the red patch behind the eye and the vent area is rufous-orange. It is a beautiful and striking bird.
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| At the Huntington Gardens in Los Angeles. |
I wonder what the evolutionary purpose of that spiked hat is? I like the accent of red on the cheek and under the tail.
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