Bulbuls
Brown-eared Bulbul, Microscelis amaurotis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Suborder:	Passeri
Family:	Pycnonotidae G. R. Gray, 1840
Genera
See text.
Synonyms
Brachypodidae Swainson, 1831 Trichophoridae Swainson, 1831 Ixosidae Bonaparte, 1838 Hypsipetidae Bonaparte, 1854 Crinigeridae Bonaparte, 1854 (1831) Phyllastrephidae Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1879 Tyladidae Oberholser, 1917 Spizixidae Oberholser, 1919

Bulbuls are a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds. Many forest species are known as greenbuls. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical Asia to Indonesia, and north as far as Japan. A few insular species occur on the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean There are about 130 species in around 24 genera. While some species are found in most habitats, overall African species are predominately found in rainforest whilst rainforest species are rare in Asia, instead preferring more open areas. The only Bulbul which occurs in Europe was spotted in the Cyclades and bears a yellow patch, being otherwise of a snuffy brown and this is possibly the bird which has got mixed up with the nightingale in Sufi, particularly Persian Sufi, poetry.

Description[link]

Bulbuls are short-necked slender passerines. The tails are long and the wings short and rounded. In almost all species the bill is slightly elongated and slightly hooked at the end. They vary in length from 13 cm for the Tiny Greenbul to 29 cm in the Straw-headed Bulbul. Overall the sexes are alike, although the females tend to be slightly smaller. In a few species the differences are so great that they have been described as functionally different species. The soft plumage of some species is colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throat or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive brown to black plumage. Species with dull coloured eyes often sport contrasting eyerings. Some have very distinct crests. Bulbuls are highly vocal, with the calls of most species being described as nasal or gravelly. One author described the song of the Brown-eared Bulbul as "the most unattractive noises made by any bird".^[1]

Bulbul from Attappadi Plateau

Bulbuls eat a wide range of different foods, ranging from fruit to seeds, nectar, small insects and other arthropods and even small vertebrates. The majority of species are frugivorous and supplement their diet with some insects, whilst there is a significant minority of specialists, particularly in Africa. Open country species in particular are generalists. Bulbuls in the genus Criniger and bristlebills in the genus Bleda will join mixed-species feeding flocks.

The bulbuls are generally monogamous. One unusual exception is the Yellow-whiskered Greenbul which at least over part of its range appears to be polygamous and engage in a lekking system. Some species also have alloparenting arrangements, where non-breeders, usually the young from earlier clutches, help raise the young of a dominant breeding pair. Up to five purple-pink eggs are laid in an open tree nests and incubated by the female. Incubation usually lasts between 11–14 days, and chicks fledge after 12–16 days.

Relationship to humans[link]

The Red-whiskered Bulbuls and Red-vented Bulbuls have been captured for the pet trade in great numbers and, has been widely introduced to tropical and subtropical areas, for example southern Florida, Fiji, Australia and Hawaii. Some species are regarded as crop pests, particularly in orchards.

In general bulbuls and greenbuls are resistant to human pressures on the environment and are tolerant of disturbed habitat. Around 13 species are considered threatened by human activities, mostly specialised forest species threatened by habitat loss.

Etymology[link]

The word bulbul derives from Persian: بلبل‎, bolbol, through Arabic: بُلْبُل‎, meaning nightingale.^[1]

Systematics[link]

The traditional layout was to divide the bulbuls into 4 groups, named Pycnonotus, Phyllastrephus, Criniger, and Chlorocichla groups after characteristic genera (Delacour, 1943). However, more recent analyses demonstrated that this arrangement was probably based on erroneous interpretation of characters:

Comparison of mtDNA cytochrome b sequences found that five species of Phyllastrephus did not belong to the bulbuls, but to an enigmatic group of songbirds from Madagascar instead (Cibois et al., 2001; see below for the species in question). Similarly, sequence analysis of the nDNA RAG1 and RAG2 genes suggests that the genus Nicator is not a bulbul either (Beresford et al., 2005). That the previous arrangement had failed to take into account biogeography was indicated by the study of Pasquet et al. (2001) who demonstrated the genus Criniger must be divided into an African and an Asian (Alophoixus) lineage. Using analysis of one nDNA and 2 mtDNA sequences, Moyle & Marks (2006) found one largely Asian lineage and one African group of greenbuls and bristlebills; the Golden Greenbul seemes to be very distinct and form a group of its own. Some taxa are not monophyletic, and more research is necessary to determine relationships within the larger genera.

Systematic list[link]

Basal

• Genus Calyptocichla
  • Golden Greenbul, Calyptocichla serina

Typical bulbuls

The Red-whiskered Bulbul belongs to the Asian Pycnonotus.

• Genus Pycnonotus (paraphyletic) (approx. 40 species depending on classification)

Collared Finchbill, Spizixos semitorques

• Genus Spizixos – finchbills (2 species)
  • Crested Finchbill, Spizixos canifrons
  • Collared Finchbill, Spizixos semitorques

• Genus Tricholestes – Hairy-backed Bulbul

• Genus Setornis – Hook-billed Bulbul

• Genus Alophoixus (formerly in Criniger, possibly polyphyletic)
  • Finsch's Bulbul, Alophoixus finschii
  • White-throated Bulbul, Alophoixus flaveolus
  • Puff-throated Bulbul, Alophoixus pallidus
  • Ochraceous Bulbul, Alophoixus ochraceus
  • Gray-cheeked Bulbul, Alophoixus bres
  • Yellow-bellied Bulbul, Alophoixus phaeocephalus
  • Golden Bulbul, Alophoixus affinis

• Genus Iole (5 species, sometimes in Hypsipetes/Ixos)

• Genus Hemixos (2 species, sometimes in Hypsipetes/Ixos)

• Genus Ixos (paraphyletic, might include Hypsipetes)
  • Close to Hemixos
  • Streaked Bulbul, Ixos malaccensis
  • Unassigned
  • Streak-breasted Bulbul, Ixos siquijorensis (Hypsipetes?)
  • Zamboanga Bulbul, Ixos rufigularis (Hypsipetes?)
  • Yellowish Bulbul, Ixos everetti
  • Mountain Bulbul, Ixos mcclellandii
  • Sunda Bulbul, Ixos virescens

• Genus Microscelis – Brown-eared Bulbul (sometimes in Hypsipetes/Ixos)

• Genus Hypsipetes (9–10 species, might belong in Ixos)

Typical greenbuls and allies

• Genus Phyllastrephus (19 species)
• Genus Andropadus (12 species; possibly polyphyletic)
• Genus Criniger (5 species)
• Genus Thescelocichla – Swamp Palm Bulbul
• Genus Chlorocichla (6 species)
• Genus Ixonotus – Spotted Greenbul (tentatively placed here)
• Genus Baeopogon (2 species)
• Genus Bleda – bristlebills (3-4 species)
• Genus Pyrrhurus - Red-tailed Leaflove

Incertae sedis

• Genus Neolestes
  • Black-collared Bulbul, Neolestes torquatus

This might be allied to Calyptocichla or not be a bulbul at all.

Recently split from Pycnonotidae[link]

The Long-billed Greenbul of Madagascar is now considered to be a Malagasy warbler.

Now in Malagasy warblers

• Genus Bernieria – formerly in Phyllastrephus
  • Long-billed Greenbul, Bernieria madagascariensis

• Genus Xanthomixis – formerly in Phyllastrephus; possibly polyphyletic
  • Spectacled Greenbul, Xanthomixis zosterops
  • Appert's Greenbul, Xanthomixis apperti
  • Dusky Greenbul, Xanthomixis tenebrosus
  • Gray-crowned Greenbul, Xanthomixis cinereiceps

Incertae sedis

• Genus Nicator
  • Yellow-spotted Nicator, Nicator chloris
  • Eastern Nicator, Nicator gularis
  • Yellow-throated Nicator, Nicator vireo

References[link]

• Beresford, P.; Barker, F.K.; Ryan, P.G. & Crowe, T.M. (2005): African endemics span the tree of songbirds (Passeri): molecular systematics of several evolutionary 'enigmas'. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 272(1565): 849–858. doi:10.1098/rspb.2004.2997 PDF fulltext Electronic appendix

• Cibois, Alice; Slikas, Beth; Schulenberg, Thomas S. & Pasquet, Eric (2001): An endemic radiation of Malagasy songbirds is revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Evolution 55(6): 1198–1206. DOI:10.1554/0014-3820(2001)055[1198:AEROMS]2.0.CO;2 PDF fulltext

• Delacour, J. (1943): A revision of the genera and species of the family Pycnonotidae (bulbuls). Zoologica 28(1): 17–28.

• Fishpool L. & Tobias J. (2005) "Family Pycnonotidae (Bulbuls) in del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2005). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 10: Cuckoo-Shrikes to Thrushes. Lynx Edicions. ISBN 84-87334-72-5

• Moyle, Robert G. & Marks, Ben D. (2006): Phylogenetic relationships of the bulbuls (Aves: Pycnonotidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40(3): Pages 687–695. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.04.015 (HTML abstract)

• Pasquet, Éric; Han, Lian-Xian; Khobkhet, Obhas & Cibois, Alice (2001): Towards a molecular systematics of the genus Criniger, and a preliminary phylogeny of the bulbuls (Aves, Passeriformes, Pycnonotidae). Zoosystema 23(4): 857–863. PDF fulltext

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pycnonotidae

• Bulbul photos and videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• Family characters

Mehmet Akif Ersoy
File:Mehmet Akif Ersoy.jpg
Born	(1873-12-20)20 December 1873 Fatih, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Died	27 December 1936(1936-12-27) (aged 63) Istanbul, Turkey
Occupation	Poet, author, politician
Nationality	Turkish, Uzbek, Albanian
Literary movement	The Republican Era
Notable work(s)	Safahat
www.mehmetakifersoy.com

Reverse of the 100 lira banknote (1983–1989)

Mehmet Âkif Ersoy (1873, Fatih, Istanbul^[1] - 27 December 1936, Istanbul) was a Turkish poet, author, academic, member of parliament, and the poet of the Turkish National Anthem.

Widely regarded as one of the premiere literary minds of his time, Ersoy was further noted for his command of the Turkish language, as well as his patriotism and piousness and his support for the Turkish War of Independence.

As a gesture of gratitude, a framed version of the national anthem typically occupies the wall above the blackboard in the classrooms of every public as well as most private schools around Turkey, along with a Turkish flag, a photograph of the country's founding father Atatürk, and a copy of Atatürk's famous inspirational speech to the nation's youth.

He currently has a university in his name in Burdur. Ersoy's portrait was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 100 lira banknotes of 1983–1989.^[2]

Biography[link]

Ersoy was born as Mehmet Akif in Fatih, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire in 1873 to a conservative family, the son of İpekli Tahir Efendi, an Albanian from İpek, modern day Peć and tutor at the Fatih Madrasah,^[3] at a time when all institutions of the state were in terminal decline, and major crises and regime changes were underway. His mother, Emine Şerife Hanım, was of mixed Uzbek and Turkish descent.^[4] As he was about to complete his education at the Fatih Merkez Rüştiyesi, his father's death and a fire that destroyed his home, forced Ersoy to interrupt his education and to start working to support his family. He wanted to start a professional career as soon as possible, and he entered the Mülkiye Baytar Mektebi (Veterinary School), and graduated with honors in 1893.

In the same year, Mehmet Akif Ersoy joined the civil service and conducted research on contagious diseases in various locations in Anatolia. During these assignments, in line with his religious inclination, he gave sermons in mosques, and tried to educate the people and to raise their awareness. Along with fellow men-of-letters Recaizade Mahmut Ekrem, Abdülhak Hamit Tarhan and Cenap Şahabettin, which he had met in 1913, he worked for the publication branch of the Müdafaa-i Milliye Heyeti. He soon resigned from his government position and other occupations, and wrote poems and articles for the publication Sırat-ı Müstakim.

During the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet Akif Ersoy was a fervent patriot. He made important contributions to the struggle for the declaration of the Turkish Republic, and advocated patriotism through speeches that he delivered in many mosques in Anatolia. On 19 November 1920, during a famous speech he gave in Kastamonu's Nasrullah Mosque, he condemned the Treaty of Sèvres, and invited the people to use their faith and guns to fight against Western colonialists. When the publication Sebilürreşat, which was then operating out of Ankara, published this speech, it spread all over the country and was even made into a pamphlet distributed to Turkish soldiers.

However, Mehmet Akif Ersoy earned himself his significant place in the history of the Republic of Turkey as the composer of the lyrics of the Turkish National Anthem. During the session of 12 March 1921, the Turkish Grand National Assembly officially designated his ten-quatrain poem as the lyrics of the national anthem.

Mehmet Akif Ersoy is an important national figure in the history of modern Turkey and has left an immortal trace in its history. During the republican period, Mehmet Akif Ersoy taught history and literature at various universities.

Ersoy temporarily relocated to Cairo due to a family-related matter in 1925, and taught the Turkish language at the University there during his 11-year stay. He caught malaria during a visit to Lebanon and returned to Turkey shortly before his death in 1936.

He was interred in the Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery in Istanbul. Mehmet Akif Ersoy is the first person in the history of the Republic of Turkey to have the national anthem performed at his funeral ceremony.

Works[link]

Mehmet Akif Ersoy had abundant knowledge concerning traditional eastern literature. In addition, during the years he was studying at Veterinary school, he enjoyed reading the works of authors such as Victor Hugo, Alphonse de Lamartine, Emile Zola, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

He is best known for his 1911 work entitled Safahat. This volume is a collection of 44 poems of various lengths by Mehmet Akif Ersoy. The earliest work that appears in this book is dated 1904, but this is unattested, and it is highly likely that the poet, who was 32 on that particular date, composed poems prior to that date.

He is further noted for writing the lyrics of Turkish National Anthem, İstiklâl Marşı (The March of Independence in English) – which was adopted in 1921, and is accepted by many Turks as their "National Poet". The lyrics were originally written as a poem in a collection of his writings. Paradoxically, one of his most famous works, a book called Safahat, was not widely read or published until recently. He studied veterinary science at the university.

In addition to his literary merits and his patriotic personality, Ersoy was a deeply pious man who was known on occasion to engage in Tafsir and for the few but particularly well-written poetic translations from the Qur'an he penned. Atatürk, who admired Ersoy and was deeply impressed with the samples of Tafsir Ersoy provided, asked the poet if he could translate the entire Qur'an into Turkish, as well as provide a commentary on its contents. Although he first accepted the offer, Ersoy soon realized that his command of Islamic theology and his knowledge of classical Arabic was insufficient to provide a thorough, proper and deserving translation of the exquisite Arabic in The Qur'an. To avoid the possible public circulation of a transliteration which may remotely be faulty, he burned the few pages that he worked on, and the job of creating the Turkish Tafsir of the Qur'an was given to one of the greatest theologians and academics of the day, Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, whose work is still regarded as the Tafsir of record in Turkey.

Other works are Süleymaniye Kürsüsünde (At the Chair of Süleymaniye, 1912), Hakkın Sesleri (Voices of God, 1913), Fatih Kürsüsünde (At the Chair of Fatih, 1914), Hatıralar (Memoirs, 1917), Asım (Asım, 1924), Gölgeler (Shadow, 1933), Kastamonu Nasrullah Kürsüsü'nde (At the Kastamonu Nasrullah Chair, 1921), Kur'an'dan Ayet ve Hadisler (Ayat and Hadith from the Koran, 1944).

See also[link]

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Mehmet Akif Ersoy

• İstiklâl Marşı

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Grey Wolves - Listen Mehmet Akif Ersoy Online
• Biyografi.info - Biography of Mehmet Akif Ersoy
• Mehmet Akif Ersoy Vakfi - Mehmet Akif Ersoy
• Turkish Culture Portal - Mehmet Akif Ersoy
• Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Yeşim Gökçe, Bilkent University
• Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Çökerken, Vural Savaş

This article may contain inappropriate or misinterpreted citations that do not verify the text. Please help improve this article by checking for inaccuracies. (help, talk, get involved!) (April 2012)

Yıldız Tilbe (born 16 July 1966) is a Turkish pop folk singer and one of the best selling musical artists in Turkey,^{[citation needed]} known especially for her eastern-infused ballads.

Early life and career[link]

Yıldız Tilbe is of Kurdish descent. Her father is from Ağrı and her mother is from Tunceli.^[1]

While performing at a nightclub in 1991, she met Sezen Aksu.^{[citation needed]} For some time, she worked as a backing singer and collaborated with several other artists on their music projects. Yıldız released her debut album Delikanlım in 1994 and songs from this and later albums received significant airplay and sold well in both Turkey and internationally.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

This section of a biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• www.yildizcilar.com ("Fan Club" page)

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