Red-vented Bulbul: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Mark Rosenstein · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Pycnonotus cafer
- Family
- Bulbuls
- Size
- About 20 cm
- Habitat
- Gardens, towns, scrub and open woodland
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and Oceania
The key marks
Sooty brown bulbul with a blackish, slightly crested head, a scaly-looking body, a white rump and a crimson patch under the tail. Red-whiskered Bulbul has a tall pointed crest, a small red cheek spot, white cheeks and clean pale underparts.
Voice
Cheerful whistled phrases, often written as 'be-care-ful'.
Good to know
Listed among the world's worst invasive species after spreading to islands such as Hawaii and Fiji.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Red-whiskered Bulbul. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in gardens, towns, scrub and open woodland. It is especially common in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.