Masked Bulbul

Appearance

The upper plumage is dark to light brown and below it is greyish-brown to light brown. The head, face, neck, chin, nape and throat are black. The beak is also black and quite short. The red iris is striking. Like other bulbuls, the black-fronted bulbul is quite talkative.

Diet

Black-fronted bulbuls usually live in pairs or in groups. They mostly sit on the tips of the branches of trees or bushes and make a lot of noise. They mainly feed on berries and fruit as well as seeds and insects. The insects are usually searched for in the leaves and bushes of the trees, the black-fronted bulbul flying from leaf to leaf. It usually goes in search of food in the early morning or evening hours. Black-fronted bulbuls live mainly in arid savannas, subtropical and tropical but arid scrubland, in wetlands and in rural regions. The black-fronted bulbul and its subspecies live, among other places, in Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. They are also found in South Africa.

Lifestyle

The female black-fronted bulbul builds an open, cup-shaped nest from twigs, grass, moss, leaves and root fibres. Sometimes a little string or wool is also added. The somewhat untidy nest stands or hangs in the forks of shrubs or trees. The female usually lays only two or three eggs, which it warms for 13 to 14 days. The male brings food to the female. The female is rarely relieved during the warming period. The chicks are fed by both the male and female with insects. At about 16 days old, the chicks, which are darker in colour than the older birds, leave the nest. The black-fronted bulbul is not considered an endangered species.