Scaly-breasted bulbul

The scaly-breasted bulbul (Rubigula squamata) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family.^[2] It is found from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Scaly-breasted bulbul
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Pycnonotidae
Genus:	Rubigula
Species:	R. squamata
Binomial name
Rubigula squamata (Temminck, 1828)
Synonyms
Ixidia squamata Ixos squamatus Pycnonotus squamatus Rubigula squamata Ixodia squamata

Taxonomy and systematics

The scaly-breasted bulbul was originally described in the genus Ixos and later moved to Pycnonotus.^[3] Pycnonotus was found to be polyphyletic in molecular phylogenetic studies and three bulbul species, including the scaly-breasted bulbul, moved to Ixodia.^[4][5] In 2025 AviList merged Ixodia into a more broadly defined Rubigula.^[2]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized:^[2]

• R. s. webberi (Hume, 1879): originally described as a separate species. Found on the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra
• R. s. squamatus (Temminck, 1828): found on Java
• R. s. borneensis (Chasen, 1941): found on Borneo