Bare-faced Bulbul, first bald songbird in Asia, discovered

Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Melbourne, Australia, have discovered a bald-headed Bulbul in the forests of Laos.

Bare-faced Bulbul photo via Forktail Credit:WCS/Woxvold

Discovery News has said that the bulbul has been named Pycnonotus hualon, “hualon” being the Lao word for “bald-headed.”

Pycnonotus hualon or the Bare-faced Bulbul is said to be the first species of Bulbul, out of 130 species, to be discovered in over 100 years.

Researchers Iain Woxvold of the University of Melbourne, and Will Duckworth and Rob Timmins from the Wildlife Conservation Society have published their findings in the July 2009 issue of the Oriental Bird Club’s journal Forktail.

“It’s always exciting to discover a new species, but this one is especially unique because it is the only bald songbird in Asia. The discovery also underscores how much there is still to learn from wild places around the world,” Colin Poole, director of Asia programs for the Wildlife Conservation Society was quoted as saying.

The Bare-faced Bulbul has very distinctive features.

The bird is bald save for a narrow line of thin feathers down the center of its crown.

The Bare-faced Bulbul, as is evident in the photo, has a pink face, olive green feathers on its body, a light coloured breast, and bluish skin around the eye up to its bill.

The Bare-faced Bulbul was discovered in limestone karsts in Laos’s Savannakhet province, in 2008.

“Its apparent restriction to rather inhospitable habitat helps to explain why such an extraordinary bird with conspicuous habits and a distinctive call has remained unnoticed for so long,” said Iain Woxvold, the University of Melbourne scientist who was part of the team that made the discovery.

The Wildlife Conservation Society said in a press release, “Fortunately much of the bird’s presumed habitat falls within legally protected areas in Laos. However, quarrying of limestone looms as a potential threat to wildlife in this area, along with habitat conversion for agriculture.”

The researchers said that the Bare-faced Bulbul is mainly tree-dwelling but was also spotted sitting on limestone.

The expedition was financed and managed by the mining company Minerals and Metals Group (MMG) that operates in the region.