Sooty-headed Bulbul
Pycnonotus aurigaster
Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand
For the fourth bulbul in the series on bulbuls - the sooty-headed bulbul - we continue our sojourn in the broad alluvial plains of the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand. This plain is separated from northeast Thailand by the Phetchabun mountain range, to the west the Tenasserim Hills separate it from Myanmar and in the north it is bounded by the Phi Pan Nam Range, one of the hilly systems of northern Thailand. Our area of interest lies in the dense rainforests on the eastern slopes of the Tenasserim Hills - the largest National Park in Thailand - the Kaeng Krachan National Park and especially around the Ban Dan Ngo area - the Padung camp.
Kaeng Krachan National Park is located in Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan Provinces, about 60 km from Phetchaburi and 75 km from Hua Hin. Covering an area of 2,914 km² it is the largest national park in Thailand. The park is part of the Western Forex Complex that covers 18,730 km² across 19 protected sites between Myanmar and Thailand, bounded by the Tanintharyi Nature Reserve along Myanmar's border to the west. Declared as a national park on 12th June 1981 and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021, Kaeng Krachan National Park is one of the best national parks in the country.
It consists mainly of rain forest on the eastern slope of the Tenasserim Mountain Range. The highest elevation in the park is 1,513 meters, in a "joint area of Thailand and Myanmar". The second highest mountain peak is Kao Panern Toong with an elevation of 1,207 m. Two main rivers flow within the park area, the Pranburi River and the Phetchaburi River. Both rivers originate from the Tanaosri Mountain Range. In the north, Phetchaburi River flows into Kaeng Krachan Dam and flows further east all the way out to the Gulf of Thailand. Pranburi River flows south to Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, into Pran Buri Reservoir and out to the Gulf of Thailand.
Until a couple of decades, there used to be a significant tiger population in the park but now only a very few are left. There are also tapirs in the park, known from camera traps and hoof prints.
Thailand has been kind to me in terms of bird and wildlife photography and even otherwise when I have visited as a tourist. It is a country rich in culture, history and abundant wildlife. The Thai people are some of the gentlest people I have met and genuinely go out of their way to make a visitor comfortable. The following blogs showcase some of the beautiful people, birds and wildlife I have had the opportunity to meet.
Read about my other Bulbuls:
And now onto the Sooty-headed Bulbul.
Kaeng Krachan National Park is reputed to be one of the top two birdwatching spots in the country. Around 480 species of birds have been recorded from the park. For example, in Thailand, ratchet-tailed treepies can only be seen here, all seven Broadbill species and seven out of 14 hornbill species of Thailand have also been recorded in the park. Click on the link to view the Broadbills I have photographed so far.
There are also a few spots inside the forest where it is possible to set up bird hides. Our destination was one such hide, deep within the forest, and a considerable hike through the dense brush. Visiting various habitats will also increase the chances to see more variety of birds, along the streams, trails, fruit trees along the roads, ponds and different elevations. During the drier months a good option is to set up hides next to the water holes along the smaller dried streams.
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Sooty-headed Bulbul
The Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster) is a species of songbird in the Bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-eastern Asia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The Sooty-headed Bulbul was originally described in the genus Turdus. Alternate names for the sooty-headed bulbul include the golden-vented bulbul and several names used for other species (black-capped, red-vented, white-eared and yellow-vented bulbul).
Species in same genus
Pycnonotus aurigaster, Sooty-headed bulbul
Pycnonotus blanfordi, Ayeyarwady bulbul
Pycnonotus brunneus, Red-eyed bulbul
Pycnonotus cafer, Red-vented bulbul
Pycnonotus finlaysoni, Stripe-throated bulbul
Pycnonotus goiavier, Yellow-vented bulbul
Pycnonotus jocosus, Red-whiskered bulbul
Pycnonotus plumosus, Olive-winged bulbul
Pycnonotus simplex, Cream-vented bulbul
Pycnonotus sinensis, Light-vented bulbul
Pycnonotus xanthorrhous, Brown-breasted bulbul
Pycnonotus zeylanicus, Straw-headed bulbul
I have the good fortune to have photographed 9 of 14 of these beautiful bulbuls like the Sooty-headed Bulbul featured here, Red-eyed Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Streak-eared Bulbul, Flavescent Bulbul, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Olive-winged bulbul & the Cream-vented bulbul.
It was an interesting situation with this bulbul and this particular part of my trip. Here I have used both the Canon 7D Mark ii & Canon 1Dx Mark ii paired with the Tamron SP 150-600mm G2 & EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM. The G2 is a great lens but it well and truly struggles to focus in the shadows and it took a fair bit of work to get some of the photos I have especially of the Streak-eared Bulbul.
With that said I think it is time to move onto the gallery of this beautiful bulbul.
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