Pycnonotidae: Bulbuls

The bulbuls are a large family of songbirds that occur across most of Africa and tropical and subtropical Asia, north to the Russian Far East.  In many areas they are among the most conspicuous groups of woodland birds, forming the core of many mixed species flocks.

The family consists of two large subfamilies.  The typical bulbuls, which apparently originated in Asia, are robust generalists that combine features and behaviors of jays, thrushes, and large babblers.  The African greenbuls are mostly drab and shy tropical forest-dwellers, usually remaining concealed in foliage.

With many details of internal systematics remaining unsettled, the two branches together total approximately 153 to 182 species:

Crinigerinae: Greenbuls (61 to 67 species)

Pycnonotinae: Bulbuls (92 to 115 species)

Sombre Greenbul (Andropadus importunes)

Golden Greenbul (Calyptocichla serinus)

Slender-billed Greenbul (Stelgidillas gracilirostris)

Black-collared Bulbul (Neolestes torquatus)

Western Bearded-Greenbul (Criniger barbatus)

Eastern Bearded-Greenbul (Criniger chloronotus)

Red-tailed Greenbul (Criniger calurus)

White-bearded Greenbul (Criniger ndussumensis)

Yellow-bearded Greenbul (Criniger olivaceus)

Yellow-whiskered Greenbul (Eurillas latirostris)

Little Greenbul (Eurillas virens)

Plain Greenbul (Eurillas curvirostris)

“Western Plain Greenbul” (E. c. leonina)

“Eastern Plain Greenbul” (E. c. curvirostris)

Little Gray Greenbul (Eurillas gracilis)

Ansorge’s Greenbul (Eurillas ansorgei)

Red-tailed Leaf-love (Phyllastrephus scandens)

Terrestrial Brownbul (Phyllastrephus terrestris)

Northern Brownbul (Phyllastrephus strepitans)

Gray-olive Greenbul (Phyllastrephus cerviniventris)

Pale-olive Greenbul (Phyllastrephus fulviventris)

Baumann’s Olive-Greenbul (Phyllastrephus baumanni)

Toro Olive-Greenbul (Phyllastrephus hypochloris)

Fischer’s Greenbul (Phyllastrephus fischeri)

Cabanis’s Greenbul (Phyllastrephus cabanisi)

Placid Greenbul (Phyllastrephus placidus)

Cameroon Olive-Greenbul (Phyllastrephus poensis)

Icterine Greenbul (Phyllastrephus icterinus)

Xavier’s Greenbul (Phyllastrephus xavieri)

Liberian Greenbul (Phyllastrephus leucolepis)

Sassi’s Olive-Greenbul (Phyllastrephus lorenzi)

White-throated Greenbul (Phyllastrephus albigularis)

“White-throated Greenbul” (P. a. albigularis)

“Green-crowned Greenbul” (P. a. viridiceps)

Yellow-streaked Greenbul (Phyllastrephus flavostriatus)

Sharpe’s Greenbul (Phyllastrephus alfredi)

Gray-headed Greenbul (Phyllastrephus poliocephalus)

Montane Tiny-Greenbul (Phyllastrephus albigula)

Lowland Tiny-Greenbul (Phyllastrephus debilis)

Red-tailed Bristlebill (Bleda syndactylus)

Green-tailed Bristlebill (Bleda eximius)

Yellow-lored Bristlebill (Bleda notatus)

“Brown-eyed Bristlebill” (B. n. notatus)

“Yellow-eyed Bristlebill” (B. n. ugandae)

Gray-headed Bristlebill (Bleda canicapillus)

Yellow-throated Leaf-love (Atimastillas flavicollis)

“White-throated Leaf-love” (A. f. flavicollis)

“Bosom Leaf-love” (A. f. soror)

“Yellow-throated Leaf-love” (A. f. flavigula)

Spotted Greenbul (Ixonotus guttatus)

Swamp Palm Bulbul (Thescelocichla leucopleura)

Honeyguide Greenbul (Baeopogon indicator)

Sjostedt’s Greenbul (Baeopogon clamans)

Joyful Greenbul (Chlorocichla laetissima)

Prigogine’s Greenbul (Chlorocichla prigoginei)

Yellow-bellied Greenbul (Chlorocichla flaviventris)

Falkenstein’s Greenbul (Chlorocichla falkensteini)

Simple Greenbul (Chlorocichla simplex)

Shelley’s Greenbul (Arizelocichla masukuensis)

Kakamega Greenbul (Arizelocichla kakamegae)

Cameroon Greenbul (Arizelocichla montana)

Western Greenbul (Arizelocichla tephrolaema)

Mountain Greenbul (Arizelocichla nigriceps)

“Olive-breasted Greenbul” (A. n. kikuyuensis)

“Mountain Greenbul” (A. n. nigriceps)

Uluguru Greenbul (Arizelocichla neumanni)

Black-browed Greenbul (Arizelocichla fusciceps)

Yellow-throated Greenbul (Arizelocichla chlorigula)

Olive-breasted Greenbul (Arizelocichla kikuyuensis)

Stripe-cheeked Greenbul (Arizelocichla milanjensis)

Olive-headed Greenbul (Arizelocichla olivaceiceps)

Stripe-faced Greenbul (Arizelocichla striifacies)

Hairy-backed Bulbul (Tricholestes criniger)

Hook-billed Bulbul (Setornis criniger)

Yellow-bellied Bulbul (Alophoixus phaeocephalus)

Gray-cheeked Bulbul (Alophoixus bres)

“Gray-cheeked Bulbul” (A. b. tephrogenys)

“Brown-cheeked Bulbul” (A. b. bres)

Palawan Bulbul (Alophoixus frater)

Finsch’s Bulbul (Alophoixus finschii)

White-throated Bulbul (Alophoixus flaveolus)

Puff-throated Bulbul (Alophoixus pallidus)

“Gray-crowned Bulbul” (A. p. griseiceps)

“Puff-throated Bulbul” (A. p. pallidus)

Ochraceous Bulbul (Alophoixus ochraceus)

“Ochraceous Bulbul” (A. o. ochraceus)

“Chestnut-vented Bulbul” (A. o. ruficrissus)

Yellow-browed Bulbul (Acritillas indica)

Sulphur-bellied Bulbul (Iole palawanensis)

Buff-vented Bulbul (Iole crypta)

Charlotte’s Bulbul (Iole charlottae)

Gray-eyed Bulbul (Iole propinqua)

“Gray-eyed Bulbul” (I. p. propinqua)

“South Vietnamese Bulbul” (I. p. innectens)

Cachar Bulbul (Iole cacharensis)

Olive Bulbul (Iole viridescens)

“Olive Bulbul” (I. v. viridescens)

“Baker’s Bulbul” (I. v. cinnamomeoventris)

Cinereous Bulbul (Hemixos cinereus)

“Cinereous Bulbul” (H. c. cinereus)

“Green-winged Bulbul” (H. c. connectens)

Ashy Bulbul (Hemixos flavala)

“Ashy Bulbul” (H. f. flavala)

“Brown-backed Bulbul” (H. f. remotus)

Chestnut Bulbul (Hemixos castanonotus)

Nicobar Bulbul (Ixos nicobariensis)

Mountain Bulbul (Ixos mcclellandii)

Streaked Bulbul (Ixos malaccensis)

Sunda Bulbul (Ixos virescens)

“Sumatran Bulbul” (I. v. sumatranus)

“Javan Bulbul” (I. v. virescens)

White-headed Bulbul (Cerasophila thompsoni)

Northern Golden-Bulbul (Thapsinillas longirostris)

“Banggai Golden-Bulbul” (T. l. harterti)

“Sula Golden-Bulbul” (T. l. longirostris)

Seram Golden-Bulbul (Thapsinillas affinis)

Buru Golden-Bulbul (Thapsinillas mysticalis)

Visayan Bulbul (Hypsipetes guimarasensis)

Zamboanga Bulbul (Hypsipetes rufigularis)

Yellowish Bulbul (Hypsipetes everetti)

“Northern Yellowish Bulbul” (H. e. everetti)

“Sulu Yellowish Bulbul” (H. e. haynaldi)

“Camiguin Yellowish Bulbul” (H. e. catarmanensis)

Philippine Bulbul (Hypsipetes philippinus)

Mindoro Bulbul (Hypsipetes mindorensis)

Streak-breasted Bulbul (Hypsipetes siquijorensis)

“Tablas Bulbul” (H. s. cinereiceps)

“Cebua Bulbul” (H. s. monticola)

“Siquijor Bulbul” (H. s. siquijorensis)

Brown-eared Bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis)

Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)

“Western Black Bulbul” (H. l. psaroides)

“Chinese Black Bulbul” (H. l. sinensis)

“White-headed Black Bulbul” (H. l. leucocephalus)

“Hainan Black Bulbul” (H. l. perniger)

“Gray-winged Black Bulbul” (H. l. nigerrimus)

Square-tailed Bulbul (Hypsipetes ganeesa)

“Indian Square-tailed Bulbul” (H. g. ganeesa)

“Sri Lanka Square-tailed Bulbul” (H. g. humii)

Moheli Bulbul (Hypsipetes moheliensis)

Seychelles Bulbul (Hypsipetes crassirostris)

Grand Comoro Bulbul (Hypsipetes parvirostris)

Réunion Bulbul (Hypsipetes borbonicus)

Malagasy Bulbul (Hypsipetes madagascariensis)

Mauritius Bulbul (Hypsipetes olivaceus)

Black-and-white Bulbul (Microtarsus melanoleucos)

Puff-backed Bulbul (Microtarsus eutilotus)

Gray-headed Bulbul (Microtarsus priocephalus)

Black-headed Bulbul (Microtarsus atriceps)

Andaman Bulbul (Microtarsus fuscoflavescens)

Blue-wattled Bulbul (Microtarsus nieuwenhuisii)

Yellow-wattled Bulbul (Microtarsus urostictus)

Crested Finchbill (Spizixos canifrons)

Collared Finchbill (Spizixos semitorques)

Black-crested Bulbul (Rubigula flaviventris)

Ruby-throated Bulbul (Rubigula dispar)

Flame-throated Bulbul (Rubigula gularis)

Black-capped Bulbul (Rubigula melanictera)

Bornean Bulbul (Rubigula montis)

Spectacled Bulbul (Rubigula erythropthalmos)

Scaly-breasted Bulbul (Rubigula squamata)

Gray-bellied Bulbul (Rubigula cyaniventris)

Stripe-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus finlaysoni)

“Pale-eyed Bulbul” (P. f. davisoni)

“Stripe-throated Bulbul” (P. f. finlaysoni)

Straw-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus zeylanicus)

Striated Bulbul (Pycnonotus striatus)

Cream-striped Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogrammicus)

Spot-necked Bulbul (Pycnonotus tympanistrigus)

Olive-winged Bulbul (Pycnonotus plumosus)

Ashy-fronted Bulbul (Pycnonotus cinereifrons)

Streak-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus blanfordi)

Cream-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus simplex)

“Western Cream-vented Bulbul” (P. s. simplex)

“Eastern Cream-vented Bulbul” (P. s. perplexus)

Asian Red-eyed Bulbul (Pycnonotus brunneus)

Flavescent Bulbul (Pycnonotus flavescens)

“Flavescent Bulbul” (P. f. flavescens)

“Pale-faced Bulbul” (P. f. leucops)

Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)

White-browed Bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus)

Bare-faced Bulbul (Pycnonotus hualon)

Brown-breasted Bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthorrhous)

Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis)

“Chinese Bulbul” (P. s. sinensis)

“Hainan Bulbul” (P. s. hainanus)

“Taiwan Bulbul” (P. s. formosae)

Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)

Styan’s Bulbul (Pycnonotus taivanus)

Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)

Somali Bulbul (Pycnonotus somaliensis)

Dodson’s Bulbul (Pycnonotus dodsoni)

Dark-capped Bulbul (Pycnonotus tricolor)

African Red-eyed Bulbul (Pycnonotus nigricans)

Cape Bulbul (Pycnonotus capensis)

White-spectacled Bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthopygos)

White-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis)

Himalayan Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys)

Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)

Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster)

Aceh Bulbul (Pycnonotus snouckaerti)

Orange-spotted Bulbul (Pycnonotus bimaculatus)

Yellow-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus)

Yellow-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus penicillatus)

References

Boyd, J.H., 2017. Taxonomy in Flux: Sylvioidea II: Pycnonotidae through Phylloscopidae. http://jboyd.net/Taxo/List22.html. (Posted April 29, 2017. Accessed June 5, 2021.)

Roberson, D. 2011. Bird Families of the World: Bulbuls, Pycnonotidae, http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/bulbuls.html. (Posted May 30, 2011; Accessed June 5, 2021.)