White-browed Bulbul

White-browed Bulbul

Pycnonotus luteolus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Chennai

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

1,137 Verified sightings at Chennai
2,543 In all 14 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the White-browed Bulbul

The white-browed bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in Sri Lanka and peninsular India. Largely olive coloured above with whitish underparts, it has a pale supercilium and a yellow vent. They are found in dense scrub habitats, where they skulk within vegetation and can be difficult to see although their loud and distinct burst of calls is distinctive.

It has olive-grey upperparts and whitish underparts. This species is identifiable by the white supercilium, white crescent below the eye, and dark eyestripe and moustachial stripe. The vent is yellowish and there is some yellow on the chin and moustache. The throat is, however, largely whitish unlike in the similar looking and sounding yellow-throated bulbul, which is found in rockier habitats. Three or four hair-like filoplumes are... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:39

India · 2022

© Sathyan Meppayur · XC741608 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Uncertain0:19

India · 2019

© Sandip das · XC633433 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:13

Sri Lanka · 2015

© Simon Elliott · XC595464 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~50%
2 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~50%
3 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
4 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
5 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
6 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
7 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
8 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
9 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
10 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
11 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
12 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
13 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
14 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~50%
2 Mysuru 🇮🇳 India
~30%
3 Bhubaneshwar 🇮🇳 India
~20%
4 Bengaluru 🇮🇳 India
~20%
5 Chennai 🇮🇳 India
~20%
6 Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
7 Vasai-Virar 🇮🇳 India
~10%
8 Puducherry 🇮🇳 India
~10%
9 Nagpur 🇮🇳 India
~10%
10 Mumbai 🇮🇳 India
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-browed Bulbul in Chennai?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-browed Bulbul sighting in Chennai on a given day, based on 1,137 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 52nd most-seen of the 223 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-browed Bulbul in Chennai?

November to May

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-browed Bulbul in Chennai on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a White-browed Bulbul?

Between 3 and 6 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-browed Bulbul sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Chennai the best place to see a White-browed Bulbul?

5th of 20

Of the 20 cities where we can rate White-browed Bulbul sightings, Chennai ranks 5th at about 20%. The best odds are in Thrissur (India, about 50%), Mysuru (India, about 30%) and Bhubaneshwar (India, about 20%).

Where does the White-browed Bulbul sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-browed Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Chennai (1,137 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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