Black Bulbul
Hypsipetes leucocephalus
Also known as: Asian Black Bulbul
About This Species
Listen for loud, discordant, almost cat-like calls from the forest and woodland canopy, since this bulbul usually travels in noisy, restless flocks that draw attention to themselves well before they come into view. It feeds mainly on fruit and insects gleaned from foliage in the mid to upper canopy, and mixed flocks with other forest birds are common. Early morning, when flocks are most vocal and active, is generally the best time to pick them out moving through the canopy.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watching from below the canopy without following a flock too closely or trying to approach a calling group is usually enough, since this is not a species that tolerates close approach well in dense forest habitat.
- Wildlife protection law for forest birds varies considerably across its broad Asian range, so it is best to assume general protections apply and avoid any handling or nest disturbance rather than rely on a specific rule.
- Keeping noise and movement to a minimum near canopy flocks helps avoid scattering them before you get a good look.
LCAvesPasseriformesPycnonotidae
Seasonal Activity
433,483 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pycnonotidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.