Yellow-vented Bulbul: how to recognise it
A bird of Asia and Oceania. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Sam Hambly · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Pycnonotus goiavier
- Family
- Bulbuls
- Size
- About 20 cm
- Habitat
- Towns, gardens, scrub and forest edge
- Found in
- Asia and Oceania
The key marks
Dull brown bulbul with a darker cap, a pale eyebrow, a dark line through the eye, a white throat and a yellow patch under the tail. Olive-winged Bulbul is plainer and olive-brown, without the bold pale eyebrow.
Voice
Chattering, bubbly whistles and chirps.
Good to know
Common in towns and gardens across Southeast Asia, it feeds on fruit and insects and is often seen in noisy groups.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Olive-winged 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 towns, gardens, scrub and forest edge. It is especially common in Malaysia and Thailand. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.