Cape bulbul

Pycnonotus capensis

The Cape bulbul (Pycnonotus capensis) is a bird found in South Africa. Gardens and shrubland in western and southern South Africa. It eats fruit, nectar and seeds and nuts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Pycnonotus capensis
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa

🏡 Where the Cape bulbul lives

Gardens and shrubland in western and southern South Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🍎 Fruit50%
🌸 Nectar20%
🌰 Seeds & nuts20%
🐛 Insects & bugs10%

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 has a ring of white around its eye and a bubbly song.

Hear the Cape bulbul

Recorded by African Bioacoustics Community (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1183506. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Cape bulbul

Where does the Cape bulbul live?

The Cape bulbul lives in South Africa. Gardens and shrubland in western and southern South Africa.

What does the Cape bulbul eat?

fruit (about 50%), nectar (about 20%), seeds and nuts (about 20%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Cape bulbul endangered?

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

More birds from Africa

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