Styan's Bulbul

Pycnonotus taivanus Styan, 1893

18–20 cmLength26 gWeight

This bulbul is entirely black from crown to nape, with orange-red to yellow spots at the base of the lower mandible.

Busiest months: October · Most records: China

Looks like Light-vented Bulbul

Vulnerable

How to identify

Field marks

Black from crown to nape, with white feathers around the eye
Black malar stripe extending along the bill
Orange-red to yellow spots at the base of the lower mandible
Underparts nearly white

Male, female and young

The sexes do not differ; juveniles have paler plumage and less distinct spots at the base of the lower mandible.

Voice

The male favors singing from high branches; the call is very similar to that of Light-vented Bulbul but lower-pitched.

Similar species

Light-vented Bulbul

The Taiwan (China) subspecies of Light-vented Bulbul has white feathers at the back of the head and blackish-brown cheeks, with no orange spots or black malar stripe.

Where and when it's recorded

Styan's Bulbul has been recorded at 17 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

China

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

Styan's bulbul (Pycnonotus taivanus) is a species of bulbul that is endemic to eastern and southern Taiwan (China). Though locally common in some areas, it has been listed as a species vulnerable to extinction. Its decline has been caused by habitat destruction and hybridisation with the closely related Chinese or light-vented bulbul.

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