Pycnonotus pseudosimplex
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The cream-eyed bulbul (Pycnonotus pseudosimplex) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is endemic to the island of Borneo. It was formerly considered a white-eyed color morph of the red-eyed Bornean population of the cream-vented bulbul (P. simplex), especially as actual white-eyed morphs of P. simplex exist outside of Borneo. However, genetic analysis indicates that the Bornean white-eyed population is genetically distinct from P. simplex and most closely related the ashy-fronted bulbul (P. cinereifrons) of Palawan in the Philippines, whereas the Bornean red-eyed population is most closely related to white-eyed P. simplex from mainland Southeast Asia, though it could still warrant recognition as a separate subspecies or even species. Unlike the Bornean cream-vented bulbul, the cream-eyed bulbul is also much more habitat-restricted, occurring mostly in old-growth hill forests. Wikipedia →
Call0:20
Malaysia · 2026
© Ding Li Yong · XC1145580 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cream-eyed Bulbul sighting in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 199th most-seen of the 231 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, 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-eyed Bulbul in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cream-eyed 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.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Cream-eyed Bulbul sightings, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 10%) and Sepilok (Malaysia, under 5%).
Same genus: Pycnonotus
The closest relatives of the Cream-eyed Bulbul that you can see in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (genus Pycnonotus, Typical Bulbuls) are Yellow-vented Bulbul (about 20%), Red-eyed Bulbul (about 20%) and Straw-headed Bulbul (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cream-eyed Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (17 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.
