Pycnonotus aurigaster
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tangkoko Nature Reserve | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 5 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 9 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Xiuying District | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Kunming | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Quanzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 5 | Đà Nẵng | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 6 | Shantou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 7 | Guangzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Xiamen City | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 9 | Phnom Penh | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | |
| 10 | Tuen Mun | 🇨🇳 China |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Bandung Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Sea World Indonesia | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Edward Youde Aviary | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty-headed Bulbul sighting in Kunming on a given day, based on 73 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 10th most-seen of the 99 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and November
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty-headed Bulbul in Kunming on a given day, against about 20% in January, March and June, the lowest months. Those are among Kunming's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in February.
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.
3rd of 17
Of the 17 cities where we can rate Sooty-headed Bulbul sightings, Kunming ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Hanoi (Vietnam, about 60%) and Xiuying District (China, about 50%).
Same genus: Pycnonotus
The closest relatives of the Sooty-headed Bulbul that you can see in Kunming (genus Pycnonotus, Typical Bulbuls) are Anderson's Bulbul (about 90%), Red-whiskered Bulbul (about 10%) and Light-vented Bulbul (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sooty-headed Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Kunming (73 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.
