Bird Album
Sooty-headed Bulbul
Pycnonotus aurigaster (Vieillot, 1818)
≈20 cmLength44 gWeight
It has a short crest and pale brown breast, with a golden-yellow vent in some subspecies.
Busiest months: December–February · Most records: Thailand, China, Cambodia
Looks like Red-vented Bulbul
How to identify
Field marks
- Short crest on the head
- Breast pale brown
- Less black on the head than Red-vented Bulbul
- Some subspecies have golden-yellow vent
Voice
A series of whistles, similar in tone to those of Red-whiskered Bulbul but more hurried.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Sooty-headed Bulbul has been recorded at 569 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- TmatboeyCambodia1,277 records
- Mahidol University [Kanchanaburi Campus]Thailand1,127 records
- Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi Lang (W), AKA Doi San JuThailand1,093 records
More places
- Taksin Maharat NP – headquarters vicinityThailand943 records
- Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary – Wat Tham Pha PlongThailand877 records
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical GardenChina712 records
- Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi AngkhangThailand583 records
- Lorong Halus WetlandSingapore579 records
- Kinmen – Agricultural Research InstituteChina541 records
- Long ValleyHong Kong (China)538 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
Questions
How big is the Sooty-headed Bulbul?
The Sooty-headed Bulbul is about ≈20 cm long and weighs around 44 g.
Where does the Sooty-headed Bulbul live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: Southeast Asia. It is most often recorded in Thailand, China and Cambodia.
When is the best time to see the Sooty-headed Bulbul?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and December (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Sooty-headed Bulbul endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Sooty-headed Bulbul as Least Concern.
What does the Sooty-headed Bulbul eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Sooty-headed Bulbul in?
It belongs to the family Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈20 cm
- Weight
- 44 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 92 mm
- Tail
- 82 mm
- Bill
- 19 mm
- Tarsus
- 22 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: Southeast Asia
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 3
- Pycnonotus aurigaster chrysorrhoides se China
- Pycnonotus aurigaster resurrectus s China and ne Vietnam
- Pycnonotus aurigaster latouchei e Myanmar to s China and n Indochina
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Bulbuls Pycnonotidae
- Genus
- Pycnonotus
Other birds in the genus Pycnonotus
Cream-vented BulbulPycnonotus simplex
Olive-winged BulbulPycnonotus plumosus
Asian Red-eyed BulbulPycnonotus brunneus
Straw-headed BulbulPycnonotus zeylanicus
Spot-necked BulbulPycnonotus tympanistrigus
Cream-eyed BulbulPycnonotus pseudosimplex
Ashy-fronted BulbulPycnonotus cinereifrons
White-browed BulbulPycnonotus luteolus
Ayeyarwady BulbulPycnonotus blanfordi
Streak-eared BulbulPycnonotus conradi
Pale-eyed BulbulPycnonotus davisoni
Stripe-throated BulbulPycnonotus finlaysoni
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Ariefrahman. ↗
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