Sooty-headed Bulbul

Sooty-headed Bulbul

Pycnonotus aurigaster

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Fuzhou

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

13 Verified sightings at Fuzhou
2,232 In all 9 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Sooty-headed Bulbul

The sooty-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster) is a species of songbird in the Bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-eastern Asia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. A medium-sized songbird measuring between 18 and 21 centimetres in length with a short crest, the sooty-headed bulbul can be distinguished from the similar red-vented bulbul by its tan front, less extensive area of black on its head and gold-colored vent in certain subspecies. Its call is a series of whistled notes similar in tone to that of the red-whiskered bulbul, but delivered in a more hurried manner.

The sooty-headed bulbul was originally described in the genus Turdus. Alternate names for the sooty-headed bulbul include the golden-vented bulbul and several names used for other species (black-capped, red-vented, white-eared and yellow-vented bulbul).

Found in south-eastern China Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:34

China · 2026

© Bo Shunqi 薄顺奇 · XC1173176 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:41

China · 2020

© Geoff Carey · XC883688 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Begging call0:08

Malaysia · 2021

© Lim Ying Hien · XC847140 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tangkoko Nature Reserve 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
2 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
3 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
4 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~30%
5 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
6 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
7 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
8 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~10%
9 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Hanoi 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~60%
2 Xiuying District 🇨🇳 China
~50%
3 Kunming 🇨🇳 China
~40%
4 Quanzhou 🇨🇳 China
~40%
5 Đà Nẵng 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~40%
6 Shantou 🇨🇳 China
~30%
7 Guangzhou 🇨🇳 China
~30%
8 Xiamen City 🇨🇳 China
~20%
9 Phnom Penh 🇰🇭 Cambodia
~10%
10 Tuen Mun 🇨🇳 China
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Gembira Loka Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
2 Bandung Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
3 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
4 Sea World Indonesia 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
5 Edward Youde Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Sooty-headed Bulbul in Fuzhou?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty-headed Bulbul sighting in Fuzhou on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 51st most-seen of the 82 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Sooty-headed Bulbul in Fuzhou?

January

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty-headed Bulbul in Fuzhou on a given day, against under 5% in February, May and August–October, the lowest months. That is one of Fuzhou's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain against 250 mm in June.

What time of day is best to see a Sooty-headed Bulbul?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sooty-headed Bulbul sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Fuzhou the best place to see a Sooty-headed Bulbul?

11th of 17

Of the 17 cities where we can rate Sooty-headed Bulbul sightings, Fuzhou ranks 11th at about 10%. The best odds are in Hanoi (Vietnam, about 60%), Xiuying District (China, about 50%) and Kunming (China, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Sooty-headed Bulbul live in Fuzhou?

Same genus: Pycnonotus

The closest relatives of the Sooty-headed Bulbul that you can see in Fuzhou (genus Pycnonotus, Typical Bulbuls) are Light-vented Bulbul (about 90%) and Red-whiskered Bulbul (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Sooty-headed Bulbul sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Sooty-headed Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Fuzhou (13 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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