Square-tailed Bulbul

Square-tailed Bulbul

Hypsipetes ganeesa

Silhouette: PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Eravikulam National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

202 Verified sightings at Eravikulam National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,675 In all 6 parks
February Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Square-tailed Bulbul

The square-tailed bulbul (Hypsipetes ganeesa) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-western India and Sri Lanka. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It was previously classified as a subspecies of the black bulbul.

Alternative names for the square-tailed bulbul include the south Indian black bulbul and the square-tailed black bulbul. Found in Sri Lanka The square-tailed bulbul lacks the black streak behind the eye and on the ear-coverts that is present in the black bulbul. In southern India, nesting activity begins in February and rises to a peak in May. The eggs hatch after an incubation period of 12 to 13 days and the chicks fledge after about 11 or 12 days. Populations make movements in response to the monsoon. Nest predators include birds of prey and snakes such as the black... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:04

Sri Lanka · 2026

© Uku Paal · XC1096464 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:56

Sri Lanka · 2022

© Okamoto Keita Sin · XC756563 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:51

India · 2022

© JISHNU KIZHAKKILLAM · XC761906 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~80%
2 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
3 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
4 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
5 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
6 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mumbai 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Square-tailed Bulbul in Eravikulam National Park?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Square-tailed Bulbul sighting in Eravikulam National Park on a given day, based on 202 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 116 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.

When is the best time to see a Square-tailed Bulbul in Eravikulam National Park?

January to March

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Square-tailed Bulbul in Eravikulam National Park on a given day, against about 30% in June and July, the lowest months. Those are among Eravikulam National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 450 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Square-tailed Bulbul?

Between 3 and 6 am

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

Is Eravikulam National Park the best place to see a Square-tailed Bulbul?

2nd of 6

Of the 6 parks where we can rate Square-tailed Bulbul sightings, Eravikulam National Park ranks 2nd at about 50%. The best odds are in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Sri Lanka, about 80%).

Which relatives of the Square-tailed Bulbul live in Eravikulam National Park?

Same family: Pycnonotidae

The closest relatives of the Square-tailed Bulbul that you can see in Eravikulam National Park (family Pycnonotidae, Bulbuls) are Red-whiskered Bulbul (about 80%) and Yellow-Browed Bulbul (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Square-tailed Bulbul sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Square-tailed Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Eravikulam National Park (202 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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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