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Common Bulbul
Pycnonotus barbatus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyPycnonotidae (Bulbuls)
- GenusPycnonotus (Typical Bulbuls)
- SpeciesPycnonotus barbatus (Common Bulbul)
In 3 days >90%
405 Verified sightings at Pilanesberg National Park From 2019 to 2026
31,843 In all 50 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Common Bulbul
The common bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is widespread throughout most of Africa except for the very arid areas, and has recently begun breeding in southernmost Spain. Ten subspecies are recognised based on the geographical variation in plumage. Some of these were formerly considered as separate species: Dodson's bulbul, the Somali bulbul and the dark-capped bulbul.
The common bulbul was formally described and illustrated in 1789 by the French botanist René Desfontaines from a specimen collected near Algiers in Algeria. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus Turdus and coined the binomial name Turdus barbatus. The common bulbul is now one of 31 species placed in the genus Pycnonotus that was introduced in 1826 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek πυκνος/puknos meaning "thick" or "compact" with -νωτος/-nōtos meaning "-backed". The specific epithet barbatus is Latin meaning bearded. Alternate names for the common bulbul include black-eyed bulbul, black-capped bulbul and common garden bulbul.
Ten subspecies are recognised. Several of these have sometimes... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Common Bulbul in Pilanesberg National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 2 | Marrakesh | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 3 | Abuja | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 4 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Yaoundé | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | |
| 6 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 7 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 8 | Ouagadougou | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | |
| 9 | Brazzaville | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo | |
| 10 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toledo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Closest Relatives at Pilanesberg National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Common Bulbul in Pilanesberg National Park?
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Common Bulbul sighting in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, based on 405 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Common Bulbul in Pilanesberg National Park?
May and August–October
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Common Bulbul in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, against about 60% in July and December–February, the lowest months. Those are among Pilanesberg National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 130 mm in December.
What time of day is best to see a Common Bulbul?
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common 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.
Is Pilanesberg National Park the best place to see a Common Bulbul?
8th of 50
Of the 50 parks where we can rate Common Bulbul sightings, Pilanesberg National Park ranks 8th at about 70%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 80%), Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 70%) and Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Where does the Common Bulbul sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Pilanesberg National Park (405 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.
