Common Bulbul

Bulbuls are members of the family Pycnonotidae and includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves and bristlebills. I've previously posted on: (1) the African red-eyed bulbul (June 27, 2018) which I saw in Etosha NP in Namibia; (2) the red-vented bulbul (February 17, 2025) which I saw in Kaziranga NP and in Jaipur, India; (3) the red-whiskered bulbul (December 3, 2022) which I saw at the Los Angeles County Arboretum); and (4) the yellow-vented bulbul (March 16, 2025) which I saw at the Singapore Botanical Gardens. On our recent trip to Uganda in July 2025 I saw multiple common bulbuls in virtually every area we visited. The common bulbul is also known as the black-eyed bulbul, black-capped bulbul and common garden bulbul. 

At Nkima Forest Lodge northwest of Entebbe, Uganda.

In Murchison Falls NP. 

In Kidepo Valley NP. 

This, my best photo, was taken outside our tent at the Savannah Lodge just outside Kidepo Valley NP. I was sitting in a chair on the patio and it was on a cactus nearby.

Illustration of ssp. tricolor from Birds of the World. 

Males and females are similar in plumage, but the male is larger. It has a dark brown head; brown upperparts; dull gray underparts; black bill, legs and feet; dark brown eye with dark eyering; and four of the ten subspecies have yellow undertail coverts, including ssp. tricolor which I saw. 

Range map from Birds of the World.