Black bulbul

Hypsipetes leucocephalus

The Black bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus) is a bird found in Taiwan, India and China. Mountain forests of Asia, from the Himalayas to southeast China. It eats fruit, insects and other small invertebrates and nectar. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Hypsipetes leucocephalus
Region	Asia
Found in	Taiwan, India and China

🏡 Where the Black bulbul lives

Mountain forests of Asia, from the Himalayas to southeast China.

🍽️ What it eats

🍎 Fruit40%
🐛 Insects & bugs20%
🌸 Nectar20%
🌿 Leaves & plants20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It travels in flocks and has bright red legs and beak in some forms.

Hear the Black bulbul

Recorded by Joan Theng (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1156279. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Black bulbul

Where does the Black bulbul live?

The Black bulbul lives in Taiwan, India and China. Mountain forests of Asia, from the Himalayas to southeast China.

What does the Black bulbul eat?

fruit (about 40%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%), nectar (about 20%), leaves and other plant parts (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Black bulbul endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Asia

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.