Himalayan Bulbul
Pycnonotus leucogenys
Crested songster of the mid-hills.
Seen atKunja ·Ranikhet ·Jageshwar ·Barechhina
Opens recordings on xeno-canto, the open bird-sound archive.
What the hills call it
Himalayi Bulbul
/ hi·maa·la·yee bul·bul /हिमालयी बुलबुल
Himalayan Bulbul — Crested songster of the mid-hills.
Field notes
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pycnonotidae · Bulbuls
- Genus
- Pycnonotus
- Length
- 18 cm
- Weight
- 23–34 g
- At Kunja
- Resident — here all year round
- Conservation
- Least Concern
How to know it
A crested bulbul with a black head, a bold white cheek-patch, brown upperparts and a bright yellow vent. Smart, perky and noisy.
What it eats
Fruit, berries, flower-nectar and insects — the usual mixed bulbul fare, taken from gardens, hedges and orchards.
Where & when to spot it
Everywhere in the village scrub and gardens, on hedges and low bushes, often in small parties calling cheerfully through the day.
Nesting & mating
A neat cup of grass, rootlets and cobweb low in a bush; two or three eggs in spring, often more than one brood.
In the field
When we’ve seen it
Most often photographed in December, usually in the evening. That makes winter a clear window to spot it around the homestay.
Spotting tip: head out in the evening, walk slowly and stop often, and listen as much as you look — most of these birds call before they show themselves.
In the lens
Himalayan Bulbul, photographed at Kunja
Photographs by Manohar Negi · mnegi.com — tap any photo to view it full
Also spotted at
Where we've seen the Himalayan Bulbul
More to spot
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MegalaimidaeGreat Barbet
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CampephagidaeScarlet Minivet
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