Pycnonotus simplex
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The cream-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus simplex) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in south-eastern Asia from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Its breast might sometimes look a little yellow.
Alternate names for the cream-vented bulbul include the white-eyed brown bulbul and white-eyed bulbul. The latter alternate name is also shared with the white-spectacled bulbul. White-eyed populations of bulbuls on Borneo formerly thought to belong to this species are now considered a distinct species, the cream-eyed bulbul (P. pseudosimplex).
Found on Java Smythies, B.E.; & Davison, G.W.H. (1999). The Birds of Borneo. Natural History Publications (Borneo): Kota Kinabalu. ISBN 983-812... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 10 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 11 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 3 | Jakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cream-vented Bulbul sighting in Kinabalu Park on a given day, based on 61 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 121st most-seen of the 247 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cream-vented Bulbul in Kinabalu Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 2 and 5 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cream-vented Bulbul sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
10th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Cream-vented Bulbul sightings, Kinabalu Park ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 40%), Sepilok (Malaysia, about 20%) and Bako National Park (Malaysia, about 20%).
Same genus: Pycnonotus
The closest relatives of the Cream-vented Bulbul that you can see in Kinabalu Park (genus Pycnonotus, Typical Bulbuls) are Flavescent Bulbul (about 20%), Yellow-vented Bulbul (about 20%) and Red-eyed Bulbul (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cream-vented Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Kinabalu Park (61 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.
