Hypsipetes ganeesa
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The square-tailed bulbul (Hypsipetes ganeesa) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-western India and Sri Lanka. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It was previously classified as a subspecies of the black bulbul.
Alternative names for the square-tailed bulbul include the south Indian black bulbul and the square-tailed black bulbul. Found in Sri Lanka The square-tailed bulbul lacks the black streak behind the eye and on the ear-coverts that is present in the black bulbul. In southern India, nesting activity begins in February and rises to a peak in May. The eggs hatch after an incubation period of 12 to 13 days and the chicks fledge after about 11 or 12 days. Populations make movements in response to the monsoon. Nest predators include birds of prey and snakes such as the black... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 6 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mumbai | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Square-tailed Bulbul sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 646 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 113th most-seen of the 227 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Square-tailed Bulbul in Periyar National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–August and October–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 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Square-tailed Bulbul sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Square-tailed Bulbul sightings, Periyar National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Sri Lanka, about 80%) and Eravikulam National Park (India, about 50%).
Same family: Pycnonotidae
The closest relatives of the Square-tailed Bulbul that you can see in Periyar National Park (family Pycnonotidae, Bulbuls) are Red-whiskered Bulbul (about 70%), Yellow-Browed Bulbul (about 60%) and Flame-throated Bulbul (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Square-tailed Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Periyar National Park (646 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.
