Pycnonotus jocosus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), or crested bulbul, is a passerine bird native to Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivore found mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves. It has a loud three or four note call, feeds on fruits and small insects and perches conspicuously on trees. It is common in hill forests and urban gardens.
The red-whiskered bulbul was scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 under the binomial name Lanius jocosus. Linnaeus based his description on the Sitta chinensis that had been described by Pehr Osbeck in 1757. Linnaeus specified the location as "China" but this was restricted to Hong Kong and Guangdong by Herbert Girton Deignan in 1948. The red-whiskered bulbul is now placed in the genus Pycnonotus that was proposed by Friedrich Boie in 1826.
The specific epithet is from Latin ioculus meaning "merry", from iocus meaning "joke". Nine subspecies are recognised: The red-whiskered bulbul is about 20 cm (7.9 in) in length. It has brown upper-parts and whitish underparts with buff... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 7 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 11 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 13 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 15 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 17 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 19 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 20 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 22 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Red-whiskered Bulbul sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 3,970 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 227 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Red-whiskered Bulbul in Periyar National Park on a given day, against about 50% in November and December, the lowest months. Those are among Periyar National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 410 mm in August.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-whiskered 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.
2nd of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Red-whiskered Bulbul sightings, Periyar National Park ranks 2nd at about 70%. The best odds are in Eravikulam National Park (India, about 80%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-whiskered Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Periyar National Park (3,970 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.
