Pycnonotus capensis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Cape bulbul (Pycnonotus capensis) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in coastal bush, open forest, gardens and fynbos in western and southern South Africa. This species nests mainly in the southern spring from September to November. The nest is a thick-walled cup concealed by foliage in a small tree or shrub.
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the Cape bulbul in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. He used the French name Le merle brun du Cap de Bonne Espérance and the Latin Merula Fusca Capitis Bonae Spei. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the Cape bulbul. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Turdus capensis and cited Brisson's work. The specific name capensis denotes the Cape... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Bulbul sighting in West Coast National Park on a given day, based on 1,253 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 192 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Bulbul in West Coast National Park on a given day, against about 60% in January and November, the lowest months. That is one of West Coast National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 70 mm in June.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Bulbul sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Cape Bulbul sightings, West Coast National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 70%) and Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Cape Bulbul that you can see in West Coast National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Cape Wagtail (about 70%), Karoo Prinia (about 70%) and Bokmakierie (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Bulbul is recorded against all the birds logged in West Coast National Park (1,253 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.
