Pycnonotus nigricans
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The African red-eyed bulbul or black-fronted bulbul (Pycnonotus nigricans) is a species of songbird in the family Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-western Africa. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and riverine scrub. It feeds on fruit (including Ficus), flowers, nectar, and insects.
The African red-eyed bulbul ranges from 19 to 21 centimeters (7-8 inches) in length and weighs 30-48 grams (1-1.7 ounces). Its call is a series of loud fluty notes, usually given only by the male. The African red-eyed bulbul was originally described in the genus Turdus. The African red-eyed bulbul is considered to belong to a superspecies along with the Himalayan bulbul, white-eared bulbul, white-spectacled bulbul, Cape bulbul, and the common bulbul. The alternate name of 'red-eyed bulbul' is also used by the Asian red-eyed bulbul. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 5 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 7 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 8 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 9 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luanda | 🇦🇴 Angola | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an African Red-eyed Bulbul sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, based on 254 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 108 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.
April, June–July and September
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report an African Red-eyed Bulbul in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, against about 10% in December, the lowest month.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Red-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.
4th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate African Red-eyed Bulbul sightings, Namib-Naukluft National Park ranks 4th at about 50%. The best odds are in Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 80%), Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 60%) and Golden Gate Highlands National Park (South Africa, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the African Red-eyed Bulbul that you can see in Namib-Naukluft National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Cape Sparrow (about 80%), Familiar Chat (about 60%) and Pied Crow (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Red-eyed Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Namib-Naukluft National Park (254 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.
