Brown-breasted Bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthorrhous)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Brown-breasted Bulbul

Pycnonotus xanthorrhous Anderson, 1869

≈18 cmLength27 gWeight

The brown-breasted bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthorrhous) is a songbird in the family Pycnonotidae.

Busiest months: January–February · Most records: China, Thailand, Vietnam

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Brown-breasted Bulbul has been recorded at 353 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi AngkhangThailand537 records
  2. Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Chinese Cemetery & dump on Doi AngkhangThailand480 records
  3. Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi Lang (W), AKA Doi San JuThailand268 records
More places
  1. Baihualing [General Area]China264 records
  2. Yunnan UniversityChina150 records
  3. Kunming Xi ShanChina139 records
  4. Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi Angkhang military base & campsiteThailand128 records
  5. Sa Pa – Ham Rong GardensVietnam124 records
  6. Kuankuoshui NNRChina118 records
  7. Longquan Mountain – LiangfengyaChina105 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaThailandVietnamLaosMyanmar (Burma)

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 brown-breasted bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthorrhous) is a songbird in the family Pycnonotidae. The species was first described by John Anderson in 1869.It is found in south-eastern Asia from central and southern China to Myanmar and northern Thailand.

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

Questions

How big is the Brown-breasted Bulbul?

The Brown-breasted Bulbul is about ≈18 cm long and weighs around 27 g.

Where does the Brown-breasted Bulbul live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: central, southern China to Myanmar and northern Thailand. It is most often recorded in China, Thailand and Vietnam.

When is the best time to see the Brown-breasted Bulbul?

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

Is the Brown-breasted Bulbul endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Brown-breasted Bulbul as Least Concern.

What does the Brown-breasted Bulbul eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the Brown-breasted Bulbul in?

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

At a glance

Length
≈18 cm
Weight
27 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Fruit
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
91 mm
Tail
95 mm
Bill
18 mm
Tarsus
20 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: central, southern China to Myanmar and northern Thailand

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2
  • Pycnonotus xanthorrhous xanthorrhous sw China and n Myanmar to n Indochina
  • Pycnonotus xanthorrhous andersoni c, s China

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Bulbuls Pycnonotidae
Genus
Pycnonotus

Other birds in the genus Pycnonotus

Cream-vented BulbulCream-vented BulbulPycnonotus simplexOlive-winged BulbulOlive-winged BulbulPycnonotus plumosusAsian Red-eyed BulbulAsian Red-eyed BulbulPycnonotus brunneusStraw-headed BulbulStraw-headed BulbulPycnonotus zeylanicusSpot-necked BulbulSpot-necked BulbulPycnonotus tympanistrigusCream-eyed BulbulCream-eyed BulbulPycnonotus pseudosimplexAshy-fronted BulbulAshy-fronted BulbulPycnonotus cinereifronsWhite-browed BulbulWhite-browed BulbulPycnonotus luteolusAyeyarwady BulbulAyeyarwady BulbulPycnonotus blanfordiStreak-eared BulbulStreak-eared BulbulPycnonotus conradiPale-eyed BulbulPale-eyed BulbulPycnonotus davisoniStripe-throated BulbulStripe-throated BulbulPycnonotus finlaysoni
Brown-breasted Bulbul

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

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