Chestnut Bulbul (Hemixos castanonotus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Chestnut Bulbul

Hemixos castanonotus Swinhoe, 1870

≈20 cmLength35 gWeight

This bulbul mainly stays in the canopy and is seen year-round in Hong Kong (China).

Busiest months: December · Most records: China, Vietnam, Laos

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: December · Most records: China, Vietnam, Laos

Chestnut Bulbul has been recorded at 364 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Tai Po Kau Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)2,317 records
  2. Tai Lam Country ParkHong Kong (China)802 records
  3. Pak Sha OHong Kong (China)767 records
More places
  1. Kinmen – Doumen Hiking TrailChina652 records
  2. Hangzhou Botanical GardenChina584 records
  3. Jiangyangfan Eco-ParkChina474 records
  4. Fuzhou National Forest ParkChina409 records
  5. Jianfengling NNRChina404 records
  6. Lam Tsuen ValleyHong Kong (China)373 records
  7. Pat Heung Catchwater, Tai LamHong Kong (China)345 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaVietnamLaos

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 chestnut bulbul or chestnut-backed bulbul (Hemixos castanonotus) is a songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1870. It is found in southern China and northern Vietnam.

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

Questions

How big is the Chestnut Bulbul?

The Chestnut Bulbul is about ≈20 cm long and weighs around 35 g.

Where does the Chestnut Bulbul live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: southern China, northern Vietnam. It is most often recorded in China, Vietnam and Laos.

When is the best time to see the Chestnut Bulbul?

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

Is the Chestnut Bulbul endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Chestnut Bulbul as Least Concern.

What does the Chestnut Bulbul eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the Chestnut Bulbul in?

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

At a glance

Length
≈20 cm
Weight
35 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Fruit
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Partial migrant
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
97 mm
Tail
90 mm
Bill
20 mm
Tarsus
17 mm

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

Range

Oriental: southern China, northern Vietnam

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2
  • Hemixos castanonotus canipennis s China, ne Vietnam
  • Hemixos castanonotus castanonotus n Vietnam and Hainan I. (off se China)

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Bulbuls Pycnonotidae
Genus
Hemixos

Other birds in the genus Hemixos

Ashy BulbulAshy BulbulHemixos flavalaCinereous BulbulCinereous BulbulHemixos cinereusSombre GreenbulSombre GreenbulAndropadus importunusSlender-billed GreenbulSlender-billed GreenbulStelgidillas gracilirostrisGolden GreenbulGolden GreenbulCalyptocichla serinusBlack-collared BulbulBlack-collared BulbulNeolestes torquatusRed-tailed BristlebillRed-tailed BristlebillBleda syndactylusGreen-tailed BristlebillGreen-tailed BristlebillBleda eximiusGrey-headed BristlebillGrey-headed BristlebillBleda canicapillusYellow-lored BristlebillYellow-lored BristlebillBleda notatus
Chestnut Bulbul

Download illustration

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

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