Northern Golden Bulbul (Thapsinillas longirostris) [XC413925]
by from Tamako, Kabupaten Kepulauan Sangihe, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia (call)
Northern Golden Bulbul (Thapsinillas longirostris) [XC533447]
by id from Weda, Central Halmahera, North Maluku, Indonesia (call, song)
Subspecies
Often placed in an expanded genus Hypsipetes, but morphological and vocal distinctions seem too great to permit such treatment. Usually treated as conspecific with Seram Golden Bulbul (Thapsinillas affinis), but differs vocally. Subspecies exhibit considerable variation in morphology and, particularly, in vocalizations, and probably represent more than one species. A full review, including genetic analysis, is required.
The following 6 subspecies are recognised:
platenae (Blasius, W, 1888) - Sangihe I. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Sangihe Golden Bulbul (Thapsinillas platenae).
aurea (Walden, 1872) - Togian Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Togian Golden Bulbul (Thapsinillas aurea).
harterti (Stresemann, 1912) - Banggai Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Banggai Golden Bulbul (Thapsinillas harterti).
longirostris (Wallace, 1863) - Sula Is.
chloris (Finsch, 1867) - Morotai, Halmahera and Bacan. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Halmahera Golden Bulbul (Thapsinillas chloris).
lucasi (Hartert, 1903) - Obi. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Obi Golden Bulbul (Thapsinillas lucasi).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet