Square-tailed Bulbul

Square-tailed Bulbul

Hypsipetes ganeesa

Silhouette: PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Udawalawe National Park

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

15 Verified sightings at Udawalawe National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,675 In all 6 parks
November Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Square-tailed Bulbul

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 →

Sounds

Call0:04

Sri Lanka · 2026

© Uku Paal · XC1096464 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:56

Sri Lanka · 2022

© Okamoto Keita Sin · XC756563 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:51

India · 2022

© JISHNU KIZHAKKILLAM · XC761906 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~80%
2 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
3 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
4 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
5 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
6 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mumbai 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Square-tailed Bulbul in Udawalawe National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Square-tailed Bulbul sighting in Udawalawe National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 137th most-seen of the 166 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Square-tailed Bulbul in Udawalawe National Park?

February and November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Square-tailed Bulbul in Udawalawe National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–October and December–January, the lowest months. Those are among Udawalawe National Park's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain a month against 45 mm in June.

What time of day is best to see a Square-tailed Bulbul?

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.

Is Udawalawe National Park the best place to see a Square-tailed Bulbul?

5th of 6

Of the 6 parks where we can rate Square-tailed Bulbul sightings, Udawalawe National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Sri Lanka, about 80%), Eravikulam National Park (India, about 50%) and Periyar National Park (India, about 10%).

Where does the Square-tailed Bulbul sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Square-tailed Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Udawalawe National Park (15 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.

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