Black-headed Bulbul (Microtarsus melanocephalos)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Black-headed Bulbul

Microtarsus melanocephalos (Gmelin, JF, 1788)

It has a glossy blue-black head, a mainly olive-yellow body and a broad yellow band at the tail tip.

Busiest months: February–March · Most records: Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia

Looks like Black-crested Bulbul

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Head glossy blue-black
  2. Body mainly olive-yellow
  3. Eyes blue, an unreliable feature in juveniles
  4. A single broad yellow band at the tail tip

Similar species

Black-crested Bulbul
Black-crested Bulbul

Black-headed Bulbul has blue eyes (unreliable in juveniles), a broad yellow band at the tail tip and no crest; some subspecies of Black-crested Bulbul also lack a crest, but have a red or yellow throat.

Where and when it's recorded

Black-headed Bulbul has been recorded at 310 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 12 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Kaeng Krachan NPThailand771 records
  2. Kaeng Krachan NP – Ban Krang CampgroundsThailand534 records
  3. Kaeng Krachan NP – km 9 vicinityThailand523 records
More places
  1. Gunung Panti Recreational Forest – Panti Bird Sanctuary and North AreaMalaysia488 records
  2. Poring Hot SpringsMalaysia486 records
  3. Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest LodgeMalaysia459 records
  4. Khao Pra – Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary / Khao Nor Chu ChiThailand444 records
  5. Khao Luang NP – Krung Ching Waterfall trail & campgroundThailand359 records
  6. Cat Tien NPVietnam321 records
  7. Kaeng Krachan NP – Baan Maka Nature LodgeThailand313 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ThailandMalaysiaCambodiaVietnamPhilippinesBangladeshSingaporeIndonesia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The black-headed bulbul (Microtarsus melanocephalos) is a member of the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in forests in south-eastern Asia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

Where does the Black-headed Bulbul live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: eastern Bangladesh and northeastern India through southern China, Vietnam, Borneo, Java and Bali. It is most often recorded in Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia.

When is the best time to see the Black-headed Bulbul?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February and March (Northern Hemisphere).

What family is the Black-headed Bulbul in?

It belongs to the family Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

Range

Oriental: eastern Bangladesh and northeastern India through southern China, Vietnam, Borneo, Java and Bali

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Bulbuls Pycnonotidae
Genus
Microtarsus

Other birds in the genus Microtarsus

Black-and-white BulbulBlack-and-white BulbulMicrotarsus melanoleucosYellow-wattled BulbulYellow-wattled BulbulMicrotarsus urostictusGrey-headed BulbulGrey-headed BulbulMicrotarsus priocephalusAndaman BulbulAndaman BulbulMicrotarsus fuscoflavescensBlue-wattled BulbulBlue-wattled BulbulMicrotarsus nieuwenhuisiiSombre GreenbulSombre GreenbulAndropadus importunusSlender-billed GreenbulSlender-billed GreenbulStelgidillas gracilirostrisGolden GreenbulGolden GreenbulCalyptocichla serinusBlack-collared BulbulBlack-collared BulbulNeolestes torquatusRed-tailed BristlebillRed-tailed BristlebillBleda syndactylus
Black-headed Bulbul

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Chan Chee Keong. ↗

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