Yellow-vented bulbul

For other uses, see brown-breasted bulbul, white-spectacled bulbul, and sooty-headed bulbul.

The yellow-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier), or eastern yellow-vented bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in southeastern Asia from Indochina to the Philippines. It is found in a wide variety of open habitats but not in deep forests. It is one of the most common birds in cultivated areas. They appear to be nomadic and roam from place to place regularly.

Yellow-vented bulbul
Nominate P. g. goiavier in Santa Maria, Luzon, Philippines
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Pycnonotidae
Genus:	Pycnonotus
Species:	P. goiavier
Binomial name
Pycnonotus goiavier (Scopoli, 1786)
Range in green
Synonyms
Muscicapa goiavier (protonym)

Taxonomy and systematics

The yellow-vented bulbul was originally classified in the genus Muscicapa.

Subspecies

Six subspecies are accepted:^[2]

• P. g. jambu - Deignan, 1955: southern Myanmar to southern Indochina
• P. g. analis - (Horsfield, 1821) (protonym Turdus analis): Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and nearby islands, Java, Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa
• P. g. gourdini - G. R. Gray, 1847 (as "yourdini", orthographic error^[2]): Borneo, Maratua and Karimunjava Islands
• P. g. goiavier - (Scopoli, 1786): northern and north-central Philippines (Luzon, Mindoro, West Visayas)
• P. g. samarensis - Rand & Rabor, 1960: central Philippines (East Visayas)
• P. g. suluensis - Mearns, 1909: southern Philippines (Mindanao and Sulu Archipelagos)

Behaviour and ecology

P. g. analis, Singapore

P. g. jambu, Krung Ching, Thailand

The yellow-vented bulbul builds a well-camouflaged but fragile, loose, deep, cup-shaped circular nest from grass, leaves, roots, vine stems, and twigs. The nest is untidy on the outside, but neatly lined with plant fibres. It may be built in a wide range of places from low bushes to high trees. This is a species adapted to humans and may even nest in gardens. The yellow-vented bulbul lays 2–5 eggs from February to June.

The yellow-vented bulbul eats berries and small fruit. They also sip nectar, nibble on young shoots, and consume some insects.

Eggs and chicks 5 days after hatching