Red-vented bulbul

Pycnonotus cafer

The Red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) is a bird found in India, Sri Lanka and United States. Gardens, scrub and woodland edges across South Asia. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, fruit and nectar. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Pycnonotus cafer
Region	Asia
Found in	India, Sri Lanka and United States

🏡 Where the Red-vented bulbul lives

Gardens, scrub and woodland edges across South Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs20%
🍎 Fruit20%
🌸 Nectar20%
🌿 Leaves & plants20%
🐾 Small animals10%
🌰 Seeds & nuts10%

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.

💡 A cheerful bird with a spiky crest and bright red patch under the tail.

Hear the Red-vented bulbul

Recorded by David Darrell-Lambert (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1186940. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Red-vented bulbul

Where does the Red-vented bulbul live?

The Red-vented bulbul lives in India, Sri Lanka and United States. Gardens, scrub and woodland edges across South Asia.

What does the Red-vented bulbul eat?

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

Is the Red-vented 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.