Red-whiskered Bulbul

Pycnonotus jocosus

Least Concern (IUCN Red List)Bulbuls
Red-whiskered Bulbul, photographed by Balaji Malliswamy

Photo: Balaji Malliswamy · Unsplash · Unsplash License (licence)

Call and song

About the Red-whiskered Bulbul

Medium-sized songbird, brown above and whitish below with a tall black crest and dark “spur” on the side of the breast. Small red patch on ear and red undertail coverts. White tips on tail feathers. Generally found in pairs or small groups in gardens, orchards, forest edge, and open forests. Pleasant song consists of rich warbled phrases; calls include high-pitched pips, a long buzzy note, and a sharp “pik-pik-a-wew.” A common species in the Asian cagebird trade and escapee populations occasionally become established north of their natural range; also introduced to Florida, California, and Hawaii.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 29 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.