NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Red-vented Bulbul
Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766)
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 red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) is a member of the bulbul family of passerines. It is a resident breeder across South Asia extending east to Burma. It has been introduced in many other parts of the world and has established itself in Argentina, Tonga and Fiji, as well as parts of Samoa, USA and Cook Islands. It is included in the list of the world's 100 worst invasive alien species. In New Zealand they were the target of a successful extermination campaign in 1955, however they are still sporadically reported.
Wikipedia contributors, Red-vented bulbul; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:36:01.575844+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Common name
- Red-vented 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 cafer (Linnaeus, 1766)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Common BulbulPycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines, 1789) | PycnonotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Turdus cafer Linnaeus, 1766 Linnaeus, 1766 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Southern Asia
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=178506 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:4QMM8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.