NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black Bulbul
Hypsipetes leucocephalus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus), also known as the Himalayan black bulbul or Asian black bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found primarily in the Himalayas, its range stretching from Pakistan eastward to Southeast Asia. It is the type species of the genus Hypsipetes, established by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in the early 1830s. There are a number of subspecies, mostly varying in the shade of the body plumage which ranges from grey to black, and some also occur in white-headed morphs, as also suggested by its specific epithet leucocephalus, literally "white head". The legs and bill are always rich orange-red.
Wikipedia contributors, Black bulbul; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:20:30.647014+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hypsipetes leucocephalus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Common name
- Black Bulbul
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pycnonotidae
- Genus
- Hypsipetes
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPycnonotidae G. R. Gray, 1840
- genusHypsipetes Vigors, 1831
- speciesHypsipetes leucocephalus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hypsipetes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Reunion BulbulHypsipetes borbonicus (Pennant in J. R. Forster, 1781) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Seychelles BulbulHypsipetes crassirostris E. Newton, 1867 | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Malagasy BulbulHypsipetes madagascariensis (P. L. S. Müller, 1776) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mindoro BulbulHypsipetes mindorensis (Steere, 1890) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nicobar BulbulHypsipetes nicobariensis F. Moore, 1854 | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Philippine BulbulHypsipetes philippinus (J. R. Forster, 1795) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Streak-breasted BulbulHypsipetes siquijorensis (Steere, 1890) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-headed BulbulHypsipetes thompsoni (Bingham, 1900) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Seram Golden BulbulHypsipetes affinis (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Togian Golden BulbulHypsipetes aureus (Walden, 1872) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Camiguin BulbulHypsipetes catarmanensis Rand & Rabor, 1969 | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Banggai Golden BulbulHypsipetes harterti (Stresemann, 1912) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Turdus leucocephalus J. F. Gmelin, 1789 J. F. Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=560557 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3P473. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.