Pycnonotus


Pycnonotus is a genus of frugivorous passerine birds in the bulbul family Pycnonotidae.

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus Pycnonotus was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1826 with the Cape bulbul as the type species. The name of the genus combines the Ancient Greek words puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed".
The genus contains the following 31 species:
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Cream-vented bulbulPycnonotus simplexMalesia
Olive-winged bulbulPycnonotus plumosusMalesia
Asian red-eyed bulbulPycnonotus brunneusMalesia
-Straw-headed bulbulPycnonotus zeylanicusMalesia
-Spot-necked bulbulPycnonotus tympanistrigusBukit Barisan
-Cream-eyed bulbulPycnonotus pseudosimplexnorthern Borneo
Ashy-fronted bulbulPycnonotus cinereifronsPalawan
White-browed bulbulPycnonotus luteolusSouth Asia
-Ayeyarwady bulbulPycnonotus blanfordiMyanmar
Streak-eared bulbulPycnonotus conradiIndochina
Stripe-throated bulbulPycnonotus finlaysoniIndochina
Pale-eyed bulbulPycnonotus davisoniMyanmar
Flavescent bulbulPycnonotus flavescensNortheast India and northern Indochina
-Aceh bulbulPycnonotus snouckaertinorthern Sumatra
Orange-spotted bulbulPycnonotus bimaculatusmontane Sumatra, Java and Bali
Pale-faced bulbulPycnonotus leucopsmontane Borneo
Yellow-throated bulbulPycnonotus xantholaemussouthern India
Yellow-eared bulbulPycnonotus penicillatusSri Lanka
Brown-breasted bulbulPycnonotus xanthorrhousChina and northern Indochina
Light-vented bulbulPycnonotus sinensisChina and Taiwan
Styan's bulbulPycnonotus taivanusTaiwan
Red-whiskered bulbulPycnonotus jocosusSouth India, southern China and Indochina
Yellow-vented bulbulPycnonotus goiavierSoutheast Asia
Red-vented bulbulPycnonotus caferSouth Asia and Myanmar
Sooty-headed bulbulPycnonotus aurigastersouthern China and Indochina
White-eared bulbulPycnonotus leucotisIrak, Persian Gulf to northwestern India
Himalayan bulbulPycnonotus leucogenysHimalayas
White-spectacled bulbulPycnonotus xanthopygosMiddle East
African red-eyed bulbulPycnonotus nigricanssouthern Africa
Common bulbulPycnonotus barbatusAfrica
Cape bulbulPycnonotus capensisfynbos of South Africa

Former species

In previous circumscriptions the genus Pycnonotus was considerably larger. Recent taxonomic revisions have seen many species transferred to other genera.
In 2010, eighteen former Pycnonotus species were reclassified into different genera, either directly from Pycnonotus or from the genus Andropadus, to which they had already been transferred by some authorities. These changes were as follows:
In 2020, a further 17 species were transferred to other genera:
Other former Pycnonotus species include: