Rubigula squamatus
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The scaly-breasted bulbul (Rubigula squamata) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family. It is found from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The scaly-breasted bulbul was originally described in the genus Ixos and later moved to Pycnonotus. Pycnonotus was found to be polyphyletic in molecular phylogenetic studies and three bulbul species, including the scaly-breasted bulbul, moved to Ixodia. In 2025 AviList merged Ixodia into a more broadly defined Rubigula.
Found on the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur Bird Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly-breasted Bulbul sighting in Kuala Lumpur on a given day, based on 38 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 143rd most-seen of the 228 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly-breasted Bulbul in Kuala Lumpur on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scaly-breasted 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.
Only Kuala Lumpur, in our data
Kuala Lumpur is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Scaly-breasted Bulbul sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scaly-breasted Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Kuala Lumpur (38 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.
