First Record of Breeding Behavior of Red-Whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) in the Himalayan Foothills of India (Western Himalayas)

The breeding success of an avian species depends upon its ability to select a safe nesting site and favorable season. In this study, an attempt was made to understand the breeding behavior of P. jocosus in the suburbanized habitat of Haridwar, Uttarakhand foothills of the Indian Himalayas from March to June 2022. In the study area, the breeding season of P. jocosus began in February and continued until early June. The nests were found in kitchen gardens and shrubs near the human settlement. The small open cup-shaped nests of P. jocosus were made on different plant species at the mean height of 2.1 +/- 0.2 m above the ground (n = 7). The different nesting parameters such as inner depth, nest width, and thickness varied from nest to nest. The mean clutch size was 3.1 +/- 0.6 eggs (n = 22). The average incubation period recorded was 13.1 +/- 0.5 days (n = 13), and the average nestling period was 13.71 +/- 0.88 days. It is interesting to note that the estimated hatching success was high (87.61%) in the suburbanized habitat. It seems that safe nesting sites and least predation were the most probable factors for high hatching (87.61%) and breeding success (72.73%). This is the first record of the breeding behavior of P. jocosus within the Himalayan foothills of India.