Bulbuls

The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. 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.

Species in this family

• Yellow-browed Bulbul Acritillas indica
• Striated Bulbul Alcurus striatus
• Brown-cheeked Bulbul Alophoixus bres
• White-throated Bulbul Alophoixus flaveolus
• Grey-throated Bulbul Alophoixus frater
• Ochraceous Bulbul Alophoixus ochraceus
• Puff-throated Bulbul Alophoixus pallidus
• Yellow-bellied Bulbul Alophoixus phaeocephalus
• Penan Bulbul Alophoixus ruficrissus
• Grey-cheeked Bulbul Alophoixus tephrogenys
• Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunus
• Yellow-throated Mountain Greenbul Arizelocichla chlorigula
• Black-browed Mountain Greenbul Arizelocichla fusciceps
• Shelley's Greenbul Arizelocichla masukuensis
• Stripe-cheeked Greenbul Arizelocichla milanjensis
• Cameroon Mountain Greenbul Arizelocichla montana
• Uluguru Mountain Greenbul Arizelocichla neumanni
• Eastern Mountain Greenbul Arizelocichla nigriceps
• Western Mountain Greenbul Arizelocichla tephrolaema
• Yellow-throated Greenbul Atimastillas flavicollis
• Sjöstedt's Greenbul Baeopogon clamans
• Honeyguide Greenbul Baeopogon indicator
• Grey-headed Bristlebill Bleda canicapillus
• Green-tailed Bristlebill Bleda eximius
• Lesser Bristlebill Bleda notatus
• Red-tailed Bristlebill Bleda syndactylus
• Golden Greenbul Calyptocichla serinus
• Yellow-necked Greenbul Chlorocichla falkensteini
• Yellow-bellied Greenbul Chlorocichla flaviventris
• Joyful Greenbul Chlorocichla laetissima
• Simple Greenbul Chlorocichla simplex
• Western Bearded-Greenbul Criniger barbatus
• Red-tailed Greenbul Criniger calurus
• Eastern Bearded-Greenbul Criniger chloronotus
• White-bearded Greenbul Criniger ndussumensis
• Yellow-bearded Greenbul Criniger olivaceus
• Ansorge's Greenbul Eurillas ansorgei
• Plain Greenbul Eurillas curvirostris
• Grey Greenbul Eurillas gracilis
• Yellow-whiskered Greenbul Eurillas latirostris
• Little Greenbul Eurillas virens
• Chestnut Bulbul Hemixos castanonotus
• Cinereous Bulbul Hemixos cinereus
• Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala
• Seram Golden-Bulbul Hypsipetes affinis
• Brown-eared Bulbul Hypsipetes amaurotis
• Togian Golden-Bulbul Hypsipetes aureus
• Reunion Bulbul Hypsipetes borbonicus
• Camiguin Bulbul Hypsipetes catarmanensis
• Halmahera Golden-Bulbul Hypsipetes chloris
• Seychelles Bulbul Hypsipetes crassirostris
• Yellowish Bulbul Hypsipetes everetti
• Square-tailed Bulbul Hypsipetes ganeesa
• Visayan Bulbul Hypsipetes guimarasensis
• Banggai Golden-Bulbul Hypsipetes harterti
• Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus
• Sula Golden-Bulbul Hypsipetes longirostris
• Obi Golden-Bulbul Hypsipetes lucasi
• Malagasy Bulbul Hypsipetes madagascariensis
• Mindoro Bulbul Hypsipetes mindorensis
• Buru Golden-Bulbul Hypsipetes mysticalis
• Nicobar Bulbul Hypsipetes nicobariensis
• Mauritius Bulbul Hypsipetes olivaceus
• Grande Comore Bulbul Hypsipetes parvirostris
• Philippine Bulbul Hypsipetes philippinus
• Sangihe Golden-Bulbul Hypsipetes platenae
• Zamboanga Bulbul Hypsipetes rufigularis
• Streak-breasted Bulbul Hypsipetes siquijorensis
• White-headed Bulbul Hypsipetes thompsoni
• Cachar Bulbul Iole cacharensis
• Charlotte's Bulbul Iole charlottae
• Buff-vented Bulbul Iole crypta
• Finsch's Bulbul Iole finschii
• Sulphur-bellied Bulbul Iole palawanensis
• Grey-eyed Bulbul Iole propinqua
• Olive Bulbul Iole viridescens
• Spotted Greenbul Ixonotus guttatus
• Cream-striped Bulbul Ixos leucogrammicus
• Streaked Bulbul Ixos malaccensis
• Mountain Bulbul Ixos mcclellandii
• Sumatran Bulbul Ixos sumatranus
• Javan Bulbul Ixos virescens
• Puff-backed Bulbul Microtarsus eutilotus
• Andaman Bulbul Microtarsus fuscoflavescens
• Black-headed Bulbul Microtarsus melanocephalos
• Black-and-white Bulbul Microtarsus melanoleucos
• Grey-headed Bulbul Microtarsus priocephalus
• Yellow-wattled Bulbul Microtarsus urostictus
• Black-collared Bulbul Neolestes torquatus
• Bare-faced Bulbul Nok hualon
• Usambara Greenbul Phyllastrephus albigula
• White-throated Greenbul Phyllastrephus albigularis
• Baumann's Greenbul Phyllastrephus baumanni
• Cabanis's Greenbul Phyllastrephus cabanisi
• Grey-olive Greenbul Phyllastrephus cerviniventris
• Tiny Greenbul Phyllastrephus debilis
• Fischer's Greenbul Phyllastrephus fischeri
• Yellow-streaked Greenbul Phyllastrephus flavostriatus
• Pale-olive Greenbul Phyllastrephus fulviventris
• Toro Olive-Greenbul Phyllastrephus hypochloris
• Icterine Greenbul Phyllastrephus icterinus
• Cameroon Olive-Greenbul Phyllastrephus poensis
• Grey-headed Greenbul Phyllastrephus poliocephalus
• Leaf-love Phyllastrephus scandens
• Northern Brownbul Phyllastrephus strepitans
• Terrestrial Brownbul Phyllastrephus terrestris
• Xavier's Greenbul Phyllastrephus xavieri
• Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster
• Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus
• Orange-spotted Bulbul Pycnonotus bimaculatus
• Ayeyarwady Bulbul Pycnonotus blanfordi
• Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus brunneus
• Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer
• Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis
• Ashy-fronted Bulbul Pycnonotus cinereifrons
• Streak-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus conradi
• Pale-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus davisoni
• Stripe-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus finlaysoni
• Flavescent Bulbul Pycnonotus flavescens
• Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier
• Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
• Himalayan Bulbul Pycnonotus leucogenys
• Pale-faced Bulbul Pycnonotus leucops
• White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis
• White-browed Bulbul Pycnonotus luteolus
• Black-fronted Bulbul Pycnonotus nigricans
• Yellow-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus penicillatus
• Olive-winged Bulbul Pycnonotus plumosus
• Cream-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus pseudosimplex
• Cream-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus simplex
• Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis
• Aceh Bulbul Pycnonotus snouckaerti
• Styan's Bulbul Pycnonotus taivanus
• Spot-necked Bulbul Pycnonotus tympanistrigus
• Yellow-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus xantholaemus
• White-spectacled Bulbul Pycnonotus xanthopygos
• Brown-breasted Bulbul Pycnonotus xanthorrhous
• Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus
• Grey-bellied Bulbul Rubigula cyaniventris
• Ruby-throated Bulbul Rubigula dispar
• Spectacled Bulbul Rubigula erythropthalmos
• Black-crested Bulbul Rubigula flaviventris
• Flame-throated Bulbul Rubigula gularis
• Black-capped Bulbul Rubigula melanictera
• Bornean Bulbul Rubigula montis
• Scaly-breasted Bulbul Rubigula squamata
• Hook-billed Bulbul Setornis criniger
• Crested Finchbill Spizixos canifrons
• Collared Finchbill Spizixos semitorques
• Slender-billed Greenbul Stelgidillas gracilirostris
• Swamp Greenbul Thescelocichla leucopleura
• Hairy-backed Bulbul Tricholestes criniger

Lookalikes compared

• Black-and-white Bulbul vs Black-headed Bulbul
• Black-and-white Bulbul vs Cream-vented Bulbul
• Black-headed Bulbul vs Spectacled Bulbul
• Brown-breasted Bulbul vs Yellow-vented Bulbul
• Charlotte's Bulbul vs Cream-vented Bulbul
• Cinereous Bulbul vs Mountain Bulbul
• Flavescent Bulbul vs Yellow-vented Bulbul
• Honeyguide Greenbul vs Grey-olive Greenbul
• Light-vented Bulbul vs Sooty-headed Bulbul
• Light-vented Bulbul vs Styan's Bulbul
• Mountain Bulbul vs Black Bulbul
• Mountain Bulbul vs Puff-backed Bulbul
• Pale-faced Bulbul vs Yellow-vented Bulbul
• Puff-backed Bulbul vs Black-and-white Bulbul
• Red-eyed Bulbul vs Ayeyarwady Bulbul
• Red-eyed Bulbul vs Cream-eyed Bulbul
• Sombre Greenbul vs Terrestrial Brownbul
• Sombre Greenbul vs Yellow-bellied Greenbul
• Spectacled Bulbul vs Scaly-breasted Bulbul
• Square-tailed Bulbul vs Red-vented Bulbul
• White-throated Bulbul vs Mountain Bulbul
• Yellow-bellied Greenbul vs Shelley's Greenbul
• Yellow-streaked Greenbul vs Terrestrial Brownbul
• Yellow-vented Bulbul vs Sooty-headed Bulbul