Sooty-headed Bulbul

Sooty-headed Bulbul

Pycnonotus aurigaster

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Xiamen City

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

33 Verified sightings at Xiamen City
2,232 In all 9 parks From 2019 to 2026
March 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 Xiamen City?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty-headed Bulbul sighting in Xiamen City on a given day, based on 33 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 30th most-seen of the 87 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

March

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty-headed Bulbul in Xiamen City on a given day, against about 10% in May–June and October, the lowest months.

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 Xiamen City the best place to see a Sooty-headed Bulbul?

8th of 17

Of the 17 cities where we can rate Sooty-headed Bulbul sightings, Xiamen City ranks 8th at about 20%. 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 Xiamen City?

Same genus: Pycnonotus

The closest relatives of the Sooty-headed Bulbul that you can see in Xiamen City (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 Xiamen City (33 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.

← Back to Xiamen City