BULBUL

'Bulbuls' ('Pycnonotidae') are a family of medium-sized passerine songbirds resident in Africa and tropical Asia. There are about 130 species.
These are mostly frugivorous birds. Some are colorful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throat or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive brown to black plumage. Some have very distinct crests.
Many of these species inhabit tree tops, while some are restricted to the undergrowth. Up to five purple-pink eggs are laid in an open tree nests and incubated by the female.
The Red-whiskered Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus jocosus'', has been widely introduced to tropical and subtropical areas, for example southern Florida, USA.

Contents

Etymology

Systematics

Systematic list

Recently split from Pycnonotidae

References

External links

Etymology

The word bulbul may derive from Persian (بلبل), or from Turkish (bülbül), meaning nightingale.

Systematics

The traditional layout was to divide the bulbuls into 4 groups, named ''Pycnonotus'', ''Phyllastrephus'', ''Criniger'', and ''Chlorocichla'' groups after characteristic genera (Delacour, 1943). However, more recent analyses demonstrated that this arrangement was probably based on erroneous interpretation of characters:
Comparison of mtDNA cytochrome ''b'' sequences found that five species of ''Phyllastrephus'' did not belong to the bulbuls, but to an enigmatic group of songbirds from Madagascar instead (Cibois ''et al.'', 2001; see below for the species in question). Similarly, sequence analysis of the nDNA RAG1 and RAG2 genes suggests that the genus ''Nicator'' is not a bulbul either (Beresford ''et al.'', 2005). That the previous arrangement had failed to take into account biogeography was indicated by the study of Pasquet ''et al.'' (2001) who demonstrated the genus ''Criniger'' must be divided into an African and an Asian (''Alophoixus'') lineage. Using analysis of one nDNA and 2 mtDNA sequences, Moyle & Marks (2006) found one largely Asian lineage and one African group of greenbuls and bristlebills; the Golden Greenbul seemes to be very distinct and form a group of its own. Some taxa are not monophyletic, and more research is necessary to determine relationships within the larger genera.

Systematic list

'Basal'

★ Genus ''Calyptocichla''

★
★ Golden Greenbul, ''Calyptocichla serina''
'Typical bulbuls'


★ Genus ''Pycnonotus'' (paraphyletic)

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★ "Ancient" Asian bulbuls

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★ Black-headed Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus atriceps''

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★ Stripe-throated Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus finlaysoni''

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★ Red-whiskered Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus jocosus''

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★ Brown-breasted Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus xanthorrhous''

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★ Puff-backed Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus eutilotus''

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★ Black-and-white Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus melanoleucus''

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★ ''Pycnonotus'' proper

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★ Black-crested Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus melanicterus''

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★ Grey-bellied Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus cyaniventris''

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★ Spectacled Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus erythropthalmos''

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★ Straw-headed Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus zeylanicus''

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★ Red-eyed Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus brunneus''

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★ Olive-winged Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus plumosus''

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★ Yellow-vented Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus goiavier''

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★ Black-fronted Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus nigricans''

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★ White-cheeked Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus leucogenys''

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★ Disputed

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★ Common Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus barbatus''

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★ Unassigned

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★ Striated Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus striatus''

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★ Cream-striped Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus leucogrammicus''

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★ Spot-necked Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus tympanistrigus''

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★ Grey-headed Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus priocephalus''

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★ Styan's Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus taivanus''

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★ Scaly-breasted Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus squamatus''

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★ Light-vented Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus sinensis''

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★ Cape Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus capensis'' (type species)

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★ White-spectacled Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus xanthopygos''

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★ White-eared Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus leucotis''

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★ Red-vented Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus cafer''

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★ Sooty-headed Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus aurigaster''

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★ Blue-wattled Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus nieuwenhuisii'' (disputed)

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★ Yellow-wattled Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus urostictus''

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★ Orange-spotted Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus bimaculatus''

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★ Yellow-throated Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus xantholaemus''

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★ Yellow-eared Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus penicillatus''

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★ Flavescent Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus flavescens''

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★ White-browed Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus luteolus''

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★ Streak-eared Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus blanfordi''

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★ Cream-vented Bulbul, ''Pycnonotus simplex''


★ Genus ''Spizixos''

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★ Crested Finchbill, ''Spizixos canifrons''

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★ Collared Finchbill, ''Spizixos semitorques''

★ Genus ''Tricholestes''

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★ Hairy-backed Bulbul, ''Tricholestes criniger''

★ Genus ''Setornis''

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★ Hook-billed Bulbul, ''Setornis criniger''

★ Genus ''Alophoixus'' - formerly included in ''Criniger'', possibly polyphyletic

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★ Finsch's Bulbul, ''Alophoixus finschii''

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★ White-throated Bulbul, ''Alophoixus flaveolus''

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★ Puff-throated Bulbul, ''Alophoixus pallidus''

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★ Ochraceous Bulbul, ''Alophoixus ochraceus''

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★ Gray-cheeked Bulbul, ''Alophoixus bres''

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★ Yellow-bellied Bulbul, ''Alophoixus phaeocephalus''

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★ Golden Bulbul, ''Alophoixus affinis''

★ Genus ''Iole''

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★ Olive Bulbul, ''Iole virescens''

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★ Grey-eyed Bulbul, ''Iole propinqua''

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★ Buff-vented Bulbul, ''Iole olivacea''

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★ Yellow-browed Bulbul, ''Iole indica''

★ Genus ''Hemixos''

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★ Ashy Bulbul, ''Hemixos flavala''

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★ Chestnut Bulbul, ''Hemixos castanonotus''


★ Genus ''Ixos'' (paraphyletic)

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★ Close to ''Hemixos''

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★ Streaked Bulbul, ''Ixos malaccensis''

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★ Unassigned

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★ Sulphur-bellied Bulbul, ''Ixos palawanensis'' - ''Hypsipetes''?

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★ Streak-breasted Bulbul, ''Ixos siquijorensis'' - ''Hypsipetes''?

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★ Yellowish Bulbul, ''Ixos everetti''

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★ Zamboanga Bulbul, ''Ixos rufigularis''

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★ Mountain Bulbul, ''Ixos mcclellandii''

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★ Sunda Bulbul, ''Ixos virescens''

★ Genus ''Microscelis''

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★ Brown-eared Bulbul, ''Microscelis amaurotis'' (sometimes included in ''Ixos'')

★ Genus ''Hypsipetes''

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★ Philippine Bulbul, ''Hypsipetes philippinus'' - formerly in ''Ixos''

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★ Madagascar Bulbul, ''Hypsipetes madagascariensis''

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★ Black Bulbul, ''Hypsipetes leucocephalus''

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★ Seychelles Bulbul, ''Hypsipetes crassirostris''

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★ Comoro Bulbul, ''Hypsipetes parvirostris''

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★ Reunion Bulbul, ''Hypsipetes borbonicus''

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★ Mauritius Bulbul, ''Hypsipetes olivaceus''

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★ Nicobar Bulbul, ''Hypsipetes virescens''

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★ White-headed Bulbul, ''Hypsipetes thompsoni''
'Typical greenbuls and allies'

★ Genus ''Phyllastrephus'' (19 species)

★ Genus ''Andropadus'' (12 species; possibly polyphyletic)

★ Genus ''Criniger'' (5 species)

★ Genus ''Thescelocichla'' - Swamp Greenbul

★ Genus ''Chlorocichla'' (6 species)

★ Genus ''Ixonotus'' - Spotted Greenbul (tentatively placed here)

★ Genus ''Baeopogon'' (2 species)

★ Genus ''Bleda'' - bristlebills (3 species)
'''Incertae sedis'''

★ Genus ''Neolestes''

★
★ Black-collared Bulbul, ''Neolestes torquatus''
This might be allied to ''Calyptocichla'' or not be a bulbul at all.

Recently split from Pycnonotidae

'Now in Malagasy warblers'

★ Genus ''Bernieria'' - formerly in ''Phyllastrephus''

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★ Long-billed Greenbul, ''Bernieria madagascariensis''

★ Genus ''Xanthomixis'' - formerly in ''Phyllastrephus''; possibly polyphyletic

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★ Spectacled Greenbul, ''Xanthomixis zosterops''

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★ Appert's Greenbul, ''Xanthomixis apperti''

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★ Dusky Greenbul, ''Xanthomixis tenebrosus''

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★ Gray-crowned Greenbul, ''Xanthomixis cinereiceps''
'''Incertae sedis'''

★ Genus ''Nicator''

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★ Yellow-spotted Nicator, ''Nicator chloris''

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★ Eastern Nicator, ''Nicator gularis''

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★ Yellow-throated Nicator, ''Nicator vireo''

References

★ 'Beresford', P.; Barker, F.K.; Ryan, P.G. & Crowe, T.M. (2005): African endemics span the tree of songbirds (Passeri): molecular systematics of several evolutionary 'enigmas'. ''Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B'' '272'(1565): 849–858. PDF fulltext Electronic appendix

★ 'Cibois', Alice; Slikas, Beth; Schulenberg, Thomas S. & Pasquet, Eric (2001): An endemic radiation of Malagasy songbirds is revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data. ''Evolution'' '55'(6): 1198-1206. DOI:10.1554/0014-3820(2001)055[1198:AEROMS]2.0.CO;2 PDF fulltext

★ 'Delacour', J. (1943): A revision of the genera and species of the family Pycnonotidae (bulbuls). ''Zoologica'' '28'(1): 17-28.

★ 'Moyle', Robert G. & 'Marks', Ben D. (2006): Phylogenetic relationships of the bulbuls (Aves: Pycnonotidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' '40'(3): Pages 687-695. (HTML abstract)

★ 'Pasquet', Éric; Han, Lian-Xian; Khobkhet, Obhas & Cibois, Alice (2001): Towards a molecular systematics of the genus ''Criniger'', and a preliminary phylogeny of the bulbuls (Aves, Passeriformes, Pycnonotidae). ''Zoosystema'' '23'(4): 857-863. PDF fulltext

External links

★ Bulbul at Ooty

★ Bulbul videos on the Internet Bird Collection

★ BulBul Forum