Buff-vented Bulbul

Buff-vented Bulbul

Iole crypta

Silhouette: PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Gunung Leuser National Park

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

12 Verified sightings at Gunung Leuser National Park From 2019 to 2026
520 In all 4 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Buff-vented Bulbul

The buff-vented bulbul (Iole crypta) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-eastern Myanmar, south-western Thailand, on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and nearby islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

It is threatened by habitat loss. The former scientific name, Iole olivacea Blyth, 1844, has now been ruled as permanently invalid by the IOC. Some authorities have classified the buff-vented bulbul in the genera Hypsipetes and Microscelis. Formerly, Charlotte's bulbul was considered as conspecific with the buff-vented bulbul until split by the IOC in 2017. Alternate names for the buff-vented bulbul include the crested olive bulbul, dull-brown bulbul and Finsch's olive bulbul. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:04

Malaysia · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1145400 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:30

Thailand · 2009

© D.Farrow · XC49760 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Call0:57

Thailand · 2013

© Sontaya Manawatthana · XC336938 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
2 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
3 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
4 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Buff-vented Bulbul in Gunung Leuser National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Buff-vented Bulbul sighting in Gunung Leuser National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 136th most-seen of the 166 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Buff-vented Bulbul in Gunung Leuser National Park?

July

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Buff-vented Bulbul in Gunung Leuser National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Buff-vented Bulbul?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Buff-vented 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 Gunung Leuser National Park the best place to see a Buff-vented Bulbul?

3rd of 4

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Buff-vented Bulbul sightings, Gunung Leuser National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Taman Negara National Park (Malaysia, about 30%) and Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Buff-vented Bulbul live in Gunung Leuser National Park?

Same family: Pycnonotidae

The closest relatives of the Buff-vented Bulbul that you can see in Gunung Leuser National Park (family Pycnonotidae, Bulbuls) are Yellow-vented Bulbul (about 50%), Sooty-headed Bulbul (about 30%) and Red-eyed Bulbul (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Buff-vented Bulbul sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Buff-vented Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Gunung Leuser National Park (12 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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