Does not occur in the Frontier Province, the Punjab, Rajputana, Bengal, or the northern and western portions of the United Provinces. It is essentially a bird of Central and Southern India, but rare on the east coast. It affects well-wooded parts of the country. (Illus. G. B., p. 96.)
Head black with short crest; remainder of plumage brown, each feather having a narrow margin of a lighter hue. The tail is tipped with white, and there is a white patch above the tail. A conspicuous crimson patch under the tail. Bulbuls go about in pairs and constantly emit a cheery note. They build neat cup-shaped nests, frequently in plants in the verandahs of houses. When the nest is approached by a human being the parent birds set up a loud chattering. These bulbuls occur all over India, but ornithologists divide them into several species:
15. _Molpastes hæmorrhous_: The Madras Red-vented Bulbul. (F. 278), (J. 462), (II.)
The common bulbul of South India, as far North as Lucknow. (Illus. B. D., p. 296; also B. B., p. 87.)
16. _Molpastes burmanicus_: The Burmese Red-vented Bulbul. (F. 279), (II.)
17. _Molpastes bengalensis_: The Bengal Red-vented Bulbul. (F. 282), (J. 461), (II.)
The common bulbul of Eastern Oudh, the Bengals, and Assam. (Illus. B. C., p. 22.)
18. _Molpastes intermedius_: The Punjab Red-vented Bulbul. (F. 283), (J. II., p. 95) (II.)
The common bulbul of the Frontier Province, the Punjab, and the province of Agra.
[At the points where the various species or races of red-vented bulbuls meet they interbreed, so that at Lucknow and other points of junction it is not possible to assign the local bulbuls to any of the above species.]
19. _Molpastes leucotis_: The White-eared Bulbul. (F. 285), (J. 459), (-II.)
This species differs from the Red-vented Bulbuls in its somewhat smaller size, its shorter crest and in having a large white patch on each side of the head, and the patch of feathers under the tail yellow instead of crimson.
Found only in the north-west portion of India. In the cold weather its range extends into the Province of Agra and the C. P., but in the spring it migrates to the west and breeds in Sind, the Frontier Province, and the Western Districts of the Punjab. Its nests have also been taken in Rajputana, Katywar, and Cutch. (Illus. G. B., p. 96; also F. I., p. 252.)