Rubigula squamatus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The scaly-breasted bulbul (Rubigula squamata) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family. It is found from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The scaly-breasted bulbul was originally described in the genus Ixos and later moved to Pycnonotus. Pycnonotus was found to be polyphyletic in molecular phylogenetic studies and three bulbul species, including the scaly-breasted bulbul, moved to Ixodia. In 2025 AviList merged Ixodia into a more broadly defined Rubigula.
Found on the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur Bird Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly-breasted Bulbul sighting in Kinabalu Park on a given day, based on 87 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 106th 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.
March and April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly-breasted Bulbul in Kinabalu Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to February, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scaly-breasted 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.
5th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Scaly-breasted Bulbul sightings, Kinabalu Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 30%), Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 10%) and Kerinci Seblat National Park (Indonesia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scaly-breasted Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Kinabalu Park (87 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.
