NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Common Bulbul
Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines, 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.
Common bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus barbatus), Souss-Massa National Park, Morocco
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The common bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is widespread throughout most of Africa except for the very arid areas, and has recently begun breeding in southernmost Spain. Ten subspecies are recognised based on the geographical variation in plumage. Some of these were formerly considered as separate species: Dodson's bulbul, the Somali bulbul and the dark-capped bulbul.
Wikipedia contributors, Common bulbul; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:19:35.851590+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines, 1789)
- Name authority
- (Desfontaines, 1789)
- Common name
- Common Bulbul
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pycnonotidae
- Genus
- Pycnonotus
- 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
- genusPycnonotus F. Boie, 1826
- speciesPycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pycnonotus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ayeyarwady BulbulPycnonotus blanfordi Jerdon, 1862 | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Asian Red-eyed BulbulPycnonotus brunneus Blyth, 1845 | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cape BulbulPycnonotus capensis (Linnaeus, 1766) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Stripe-throated BulbulPycnonotus finlaysoni Strickland, 1844 | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-vented BulbulPycnonotus goiavier (Scopoli, 1786) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-eared BulbulPycnonotus leucotis (Gould, 1836) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Olive-winged BulbulPycnonotus plumosus Blyth, 1845 | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Light-vented BulbulPycnonotus sinensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown-breasted BulbulPycnonotus xanthorrhous Anderson, 1869 | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Straw-headed BulbulPycnonotus zeylanicus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ashy-fronted BulbulPycnonotus cinereifrons (Tweeddale, 1878) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Streak-eared BulbulPycnonotus conradi (Finsch, 1873) | 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 barbatus Desfontaines, 1789 Desfontaines, 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=562602 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.
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:4QMM4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.