The Feeling of Solidarity in the World of Birds : The Common Bulbul of Lotfi Bouslah

This week, December 12th, nature photographer Lotfi Bouslah of Lolo Pics shared a charming photo of a couple of birds known by the popular name common bulbul, with it scientific name Pycnonotus barbatus. The common bulbul is a passerine bird in the order of Passeriformes, that account for more than half of the world's bird species, and the order of passerine refers to the fact that these birds have toes that facilitate perching. Pycnonotus barbatus is in the family Pycnonotidae, that are found in North, East, West and Central Africa. The common bulbul is considered a sub species, like the Himalayan bulbul, the white eared bulbul, and the white bespectacled bulbul, Pycnonotus xanthopygos, and the red eyed bulbul, and the Cape bulbul. The common bulbul has 5 recognized subspecies : Pycnonotus barbatus barbatus, found from Morocco to Tunisia; the bulbul of Upper Guinea, that is found in southern Mauritania, Senegal, up to western Chad and northern Cameroon; Pycnonotus gabonensis, the bulbul of Gabon, that is found in central Nigeria and central Cameroon, up to Gabon and the south of Congo; the Egyptian bulbul, Pycnonotus barbatus arsinoe, also called the common bulbul of the Sahel, that is found in eastern, northern and central Chad and the eastern part of Egypt; there is also finally the Abyssinian bulbul, Pycnonotus barbatus schoanus, found in the south -eastern part of Sudan, west and east and central Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
The beak of the common bulbul is rather short and thin, with an upper mandible that has a descending slant. The beak, legs and feet are black, and the eyes are brown with an eye ring that is not immediately visible. The bird is 18cm, with a long tail, the head is brown, as are the upper body parts. The plumage is the same in both sexes. The common bulbul is a resident bird in a large part of Africa, and is found in woodland, coastal bush, forest edges, riverine bush, montane shrub, and in mixed farming thickets, as well as in exotic thickets, gardens and parks. It is a bird often seen in pairs or small groups, and is a conspicuous bird, often seen at the top of a bush. The common bulbul is an active and noisy bird. It is a bouncing bird, like the wood pecker, and nests throughout the year in moist tropical regions. Elsewhere, the bird has a breeding season that coincides with the onset of the rainy season. This species eats fruit, nectar, seeds and insects.
Lotfi Bouslah's photo of 12 December shows a pair of common bulbul, sitting side by side, very much at ease on a branch, in a green and sunny corner of a seaside bush, watching the world around them with a critical and alert eye, as if they felt quite happy to belong to the world of animals, and had their doubts about the human species, and the curiosity towards them on the part of the nature photographer, and also his interest in their presence. This nostalgic portrait of these amorous birds inspired me to research the concrete reality of monogamy in the world of birds. The research proved very interesting, because it seems there are two parts to the aspect of monogamy in their world :
there is social monogamy, and sexual monogamy, which means that the coupled birds stay together and faithful during the breeding season and the care of their offspring, and once this responsibility is accomplished, the couple separates and find other partners for the following breeding season. Sexual monogamy is much more rare, at about 10%, and is found primarily among geese, swans and eagles, who remain a sexual and social couple for life. With this said, birds show a loyalty and solidarity towards their babies that is becoming rather rare among human parents.
Male common bulbul are very gallant during the breeding season, and bring food to the female when she can no longer leave the nest and the eggs, and later, the baby birds, to feed herself, and the males also help bring food for the baby birds, and also help protect the nest and the baby birds from predators.
It seems the world of birds is more modern than was previously thought, but in their modern attitudes, they do not avoid their responsibilities as parents, which is quite admirable, seeing how a good number of modern humans equate modernity with irresponsibility when it comes to their children.
Trudi Ralston

The research on the world of the passerine bird, the common bulbul, Pycnonotus barbatus, and monogamy in the world of birds, courtesy of Wikipedia.
I am grateful to nature photographer Lotfi Bouslah for the identification of the common bulbul in his photo, as its identification proved quite a challenge. His astute help saved me hours of frustrating research.