Birds Guide

Bulbuls
Light-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus sinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pycnonotidae
Genera
See text.

Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae) are a family of medium-sized passerine songbirds resident in Africa and tropical Asia. There are about 130 species.

These are mostly frugivorous birds. Some are colorful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throat or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive brown to black plumage. Some have very distinct crests.

These are noisy and gregarious birds with often beautiful striking songs.

Many of these species inhabit tree tops, while some are restricted to the undergrowth. Up to five purple-pink eggs are laid in an open tree nests and incubated by the female.

The Red-whiskered Bulbul, Pycnonotus jocosus, has been widely introduced to tropical and subtropical areas, for example southern Florida, USA.

Systematics

The traditional layout was to divide the bulbuls into 4 groups, named Pycnonotus, Phyllastrephus, Criniger, and Chlorocichla groups after characteristic genera (Delacour, 1943). However, more recent analyses demonstrated that this arrangement was probably based on erroneous interpretation of characters:

Studies of the mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence found that five species of Phyllastrephus did not belong to the bulbuls, but to an enigmatic group of songbirds from Madagascar instead (Cibois et al., 2001; see below for the species in question). Similarly, analysis of DNA sequences of the RAG1 and RAG2 genes suggests that the genus Nicator was not a bulbul either (Beresford et al., 2005). That the previous arrangement had failed to take into account biogeography was indicated by the study of Pasquet et al. (2001) who demonstrated the genus Criniger must be divided into an African and an Asian (Alophoixus) lineage. Using analysis of 2 mitochondrial and one nuclear DNA sequences, Moyle & Marks (2006) found one largely Asian lineage and one African group of genera; the Golden Greenbul seemed to be very distinct and form a group of its own. Some taxa are not monophyletic, and more research is necessary to determine relationships within the larger genera.

Family Pycnonotidae

• Genus Pycnonotus (paraphyletic)
  • "Ancient" Asian bulbuls
    Black-headed Bulbul, Pycnonotus atriceps
    Puff-backed Bulbul, Pycnonotus eutilotus
    Black-and-white Bulbul, Pycnonotus melanoleucus
    Pycnonotus proper
    Black-crested Bulbul, Pycnonotus melanicterus
    Grey-bellied Bulbul, Pycnonotus cyaniventris
    Spectacled Bulbul, Pycnonotus erythropthalmos
    Straw-headed Bulbul, Pycnonotus zeylanicus
    Red-eyed Bulbul, Pycnonotus brunneus
    Olive-winged Bulbul, Pycnonotus plumosus
    Yellow-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus goiavier
    Common Bulbul, Pycnonotus barbatus
    Black-fronted Bulbul, Pycnonotus nigricans
    White-cheeked Bulbul, Pycnonotus leucogenys
    Unassigned
    Striated Bulbul, Pycnonotus striatus
    Cream-striped Bulbul, Pycnonotus leucogrammicus
    Spot-necked Bulbul, Pycnonotus tympanistrigus
    Grey-headed Bulbul, Pycnonotus priocephalus
    Styan's Bulbul, Pycnonotus taivanus
    Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Pycnonotus squamatus
    Red-whiskered Bulbul, Pycnonotus jocosus
    Brown-breasted Bulbul, Pycnonotus xanthorrhous
    Light-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus sinensis
    Cape Bulbul, Pycnonotus capensis
    White-spectacled Bulbul, Pycnonotus xanthopygos
    White-eared Bulbul, Pycnonotus leucotis
    Red-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus cafer
    Sooty-headed Bulbul, Pycnonotus aurigaster
    Blue-wattled Bulbul, Pycnonotus nieuwenhuisii (disputed)
    Yellow-wattled Bulbul, Pycnonotus urostictus
    Orange-spotted Bulbul, Pycnonotus bimaculatus
    Stripe-throated Bulbul, Pycnonotus finlaysoni
    Yellow-throated Bulbul, Pycnonotus xantholaemus
    Yellow-eared Bulbul, Pycnonotus penicillatus
    Flavescent Bulbul, Pycnonotus flavescens
    White-browed Bulbul, Pycnonotus luteolus
    Streak-eared Bulbul, Pycnonotus blanfordi
    Cream-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus simplex

• Genus Spizixos
  • Crested Finchbill, Spizixos canifrons
    Collared Finchbill, Spizixos semitorques

• Genus Tricholestes
  • Hairy-backed Bulbul, Tricholestes criniger

• Genus Setornis
  • Hook-billed Bulbul, Setornis criniger

• Genus Alophoixus (possibly polyphyletic)
  • Finsch's Bulbul, Alophoixus finschii
    White-throated Bulbul, Alophoixus flaveolus
    Puff-throated Bulbul, Alophoixus pallidus
    Ochraceous Bulbul, Alophoixus ochraceus
    Gray-cheeked Bulbul, Alophoixus bres
    Yellow-bellied Bulbul, Alophoixus phaeocephalus
    Golden Bulbul, Alophoixus affinis

• Genus Iole
  • Olive Bulbul, Iole virescens
    Grey-eyed Bulbul, Iole propinqua
    Buff-vented Bulbul, Iole olivacea
    Yellow-browed Bulbul, Iole indica

• Genus Hemixos
  • Ashy Bulbul, Hemixos flavala
    Chestnut Bulbul, Hemixos castanonotus

• Genus Ixos (paraphyletic)
  • Close to Hemixos
    Streaked Bulbul, Ixos malaccensis
    Close to Hypsipetes
    Philippine Bulbul, Ixos philippinus
    Unassigned
    Sulphur-bellied Bulbul, Ixos palawanensis
    Streak-breasted Bulbul, Ixos siquijorensis
    Yellowish Bulbul, Ixos everetti
    Zamboanga Bulbul, Ixos rufigularis
    Mountain Bulbul, Ixos mcclellandii
    Sunda Bulbul, Ixos virescens

• Genus Microscelis
  • Brown-eared Bulbul, Microscelis amaurotis (sometimes included in Ixos)

• Genus Hypsipetes
  • Madagascar Bulbul, Hypsipetes madagascariensis
    Black Bulbul, Hypsipetes leucocephalus
    Seychelles Bulbul, Hypsipetes crassirostris
    Comoro Bulbul, Hypsipetes parvirostris
    Reunion Bulbul, Hypsipetes borbonicus
    Mauritius Bulbul, Hypsipetes olivaceus
    Nicobar Bulbul, Hypsipetes virescens
    White-headed Bulbul, Hypsipetes thompsoni

• Genus Calyptocichla
  • Golden Greenbul, Calyptocichla serina

• Genus Phyllastrephus
  • Leaf-love Greenbul, Phyllastrephus scandens
    Cabanis' Greenbul, Phyllastrephus cabanisi
    Fischer's Greenbul, Phyllastrephus fischeri
    Placid Greenbul, Phyllastrephus placidus
    Terrestrial Brownbul, Phyllastrephus terrestris
    Northern Brownbul, Phyllastrephus strepitans
    Pale-olive Greenbul, Phyllastrephus fulviventris
    Gray-olive Greenbul, Phyllastrephus cerviniventris
    Baumann's Greenbul, Phyllastrephus baumanni
    Toro Olive Greenbul, Phyllastrephus hypochloris
    Cameroon Olive Greenbul, Phyllastrephus poensis
    Sassi's Greenbul, Phyllastrephus lorenzi
    Yellow-streaked Bulbul, Phyllastrephus flavostriatus
    Grey-headed Greenbul, Phyllastrephus poliocephalus
    Tiny Greenbul, Phyllastrephus debilis
    White-throated Greenbul, Phyllastrephus albigularis
    Icterine Greenbul, Phyllastrephus icterinus
    Liberian Greenbul, Phyllastrephus leucolepis
    Xavier's Greenbul, Phyllastrephus xavieri

• Genus Andropadus (possibly polyphyletic)
  • Cameroon Mountain Greenbul, Andropadus montanus
    Shelley's Greenbul, Andropadus masukuensis
    Little Greenbul, Andropadus virens
    Grey Greenbul, Andropadus gracilis
    Ansorge's Greenbul, Andropadus ansorgei
    Plain Greenbul, Andropadus curvirostris
    Slender-billed Greenbul, Andropadus gracilirostris
    Sombre Greenbul, Andropadus importunus
    Yellow-whiskered Bulbul, Andropadus latirostris
    Western Mountain Greenbul, Andropadus tephrolaemus
    Eastern Mountain Greenbul, Andropadus nigriceps
    Stripe-cheeked Bulbul, Andropadus milanjensis

• Genus Criniger
  • Red-tailed Greenbul, Criniger calurus
    Western Bearded Greenbul, Criniger barbatus
    Eastern Bearded Greenbul, Criniger chloronotus
    Yellow-bearded Greenbul, Criniger olivaceus
    White-bearded Greenbul, Criniger ndussumensis

• Genus Bleda
  • Common Bristlebill, Bleda syndactyla
    Green-tailed Bristlebill, Bleda eximia
    Grey-headed Bristlebill, Bleda canicapilla

• Genus Thescelocichla
  • Swamp Greenbul, Thescelocichla leucopleura

• Genus Chlorocichla
  • Simple Greenbul, Chlorocichla simplex
    Yellow-throated Greenbul, Chlorocichla flavicollis
    Yellow-necked Greenbul, Chlorocichla falkensteini
    Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Chlorocichla flaviventris
    Joyful Greenbul, Chlorocichla laetissima
    Prigogine's Greenbul, Chlorocichla prigoginei

• Genus Ixonotus (pending confirmation of placement)
  • Spotted Greenbul, Ixonotus guttatus

• Genus Baeopogon
  • Honeyguide Greenbul, Baeopogon indicator
    Sjostedt's Greenbul, Baeopogon clamans

• Genus Neolestes
  • Black-collared Bulbul, Neolestes torquatus

The last genus might be allied to Calyptocichla or not be a bulbul at all.

Taxa until recently included in the Pycnonotidae are:

• Genus Bernieria
  • Long-billed Greenbul, Bernieria madagascariensis

• Genus Xanthomixis (possibly polyphyletic)
  • Spectacled Greenbul, Xanthomixis zosterops
    Appert's Greenbul, Xanthomixis apperti
    Dusky Greenbul, Xanthomixis tenebrosus
    Gray-crowned Greenbul, Xanthomixis cinereiceps

• Genus Nicator
  • Yellow-spotted Nicator, Nicator chloris
    Eastern Nicator, Nicator gularis
    Yellow-throated Nicator, Nicator vireo

The first two belong to the "Malagasy warblers"; the affiliations of Nicator are unknown at present.

References

• Beresford, P.; Barker, F.K.; Ryan, P.G. & Crowe, T.M. (2005): African endemics span the tree of songbirds (Passeri): molecular systematics of several evolutionary 'enigmas'. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 272(1565): 849–858. DOI:10.1098/rspb.2004.2997 PDF fulltext Electronic appendix

• Cibois, Alice; Slikas, Beth; Shulenberg, Thomas S. & Pasquet, Eric (2001): An endemic radiation of Malagasy songbirds is revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Evolution 55(6): 1198-1206. DOI:10.1554/0014-3820(2001)055[1198:AEROMS]2.0.CO;2 PDF fulltext

• Delacour, J. (1943): A revision of the genera and species of the family Pycnonotidae (bulbuls). Zoologica 28(1): 17-28.

• Moyle, Robert G. & Marks, Ben D. (2006): Phylogenetic relationships of the bulbuls (Aves: Pycnonotidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40(3): Pages 687-695. DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.04.015 (HTML abstract)

External links

• Bulbul videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• BulBul Forum