Birds of Vietnam, Bird Species in Vietnam

Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Let's join AdventureGreen on our bird quests to learn about the different birds and bird species in Vietnam. Here you can find out more about the birding spots that these bird species are found.

Flavescent bulbul 
Also: Blyth's bulbul, flavescent green bulbul and round-tailed green bulbul,
(Bông lau vàng, Pycnonotus flavescens) 

The flavescent bulbul (Pycnonotus flavescens) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family of passerine birds. 
The bird is found in south-eastern Asia.

Pycnonotus, Pycnonotidae: from Greek puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed" (noton: back).
flavescens Latin flavescens golden-yellowish (flavescere to become golden; flavus yellow, golden).

Yellow-vented bulbul, 
or eastern yellow-vented bulbul (Bông lau mày trắng, Pycnonotus goiavier)

The yellow-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier), or eastern yellow-vented bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds, Pycnonotidae.
The bird is a resident breeder in southeastern Asia from Indochina to the Philippines.


Pycnonotus, Pycnonotidae: from Greek puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed" (noton: back).

Brown-breasted bulbul
also Anderson's Bulbul (Bông lau ngực nâu, Pycnonotus xanthorrhous) 

The brown-breasted bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthorrhous) is a songbird in the family Pycnonotidae. 
The bird is found in south-eastern Asia from central and southern China to Myanmar and northern Thailand.

Pycnonotus, Pycnonotidae: from Greek puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed" (noton: back).
xanthorrhoa, xanthorrhous Gr. xanthos yellow; orrhos rump.

Irrawaddy Bulbul
or Streak-eared Bulbul, or Blanford's Olive Bubul (Bông lau tai vằn, Pycnonotus blanfordi)

The Ayeyarwady bulbul (Pycnonotus blanfordi) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. 


Pycnonotus, Pycnonotidae: from Greek puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed" (noton: back).

Light-vented bulbul
also called the Chinese bulbul (Bông lau Trung Quốc, Pycnonotus sinensis)

The light-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis), also called the Chinese bulbul, is a species of bird in the bulbul family.
The bird is found in central and southern China, Hong Kong, Macao, northern Vietnam, southern Japan and Taiwan, with occasional records from South Korea. 


Pycnonotus, Pycnonotidae: from Greek puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed" (noton: back).

Red-whiskered bulbul
 or crested bulbul (Chào mào, Pycnonotus jocosus)

The red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), or crested bulbul, is a passerine bird native to Asia.


Pycnonotus, Pycnonotidae: from Greek puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed" (noton: back).
jocosa, jocosus Latin iocosus merry (iocus joke).

The striated bulbul
also known as striated green bulbul or striped bulbul, 

The striated bulbul (Alcurus striatus) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Alcurus.
The bird is found from the eastern Himalayas to northern Vietnam. 

The family name Pycnonotidae is from Greek: puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed".
Alcurus Greek alke: might, strength; oura tail.

Malagasy bulbul 
(Cành cạch Madagascar, Hypsipetes madagascariensis)


The Malagasy bulbul (Hypsipetes madagascariensis) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found on Madagascar and other regional islands in the south-western Indian Ocean, Vietnam.


The family name Pycnonotidae is from Greek: puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed".
The genus name Hypsipetes combines the Ancient Greek hupsi meaning "high" with petēs meaning "-flyer".

Spectacled bulbul
also known as the lesser brown bulbul (Bông lau nâu nhỏ, Ixodia erythropthalmos)


The spectacled bulbul (Ixodia erythropthalmos), also known as the lesser brown bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds.
The bird is found on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo and Vietnam. 

The family name Pycnonotidae is from Greek: puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed".
Ixodia: From Greek, ixodes, sticky, like bird-lime.
erythropthalma, erythropthalmos, erythrop-thalmus Greek eruthros red; ophthalmos eye.

Streaked bulbul
or green-backed bulbul (Cành cạch Mã Lai, Ixos malaccensis)
Also known as Hypsipetes malaccensis. Not certain of the genus.

The streaked bulbul (Ixos malaccensis), or green-backed bulbul, is a songbird species in the bulbul family (Pycnonotidae).
The bird is found on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. 


The family name is from Greek: puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed".
Ixos the Ancient Greek for "mistletoe, birdlime".

The black-capped bulbul
 or black-headed yellow bulbul 

The black-capped bulbul (Chào mào vàng chóp đen, Rubigula melanictera) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds.
The bird is endemic to Sri Lanka.

The black-capped bulbul was formerly placed in the genus Pycnonotus. 

Compare with the Black Headed Bulbul
Black-capped bulbul has upper half of the head black and lower half yellow, while the black-headed bulbul (Brachypodius melanocephalos) has the whole head black. Both are crestless.

The name Rubigula combines the Medieval Latin rubinus meaning "ruby" with Latin gula meaning "throat".
The specific epithet melanictera combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" with ikteros meaning "jaundice-yellow".

Mountain bulbul 
(Cành cạch núi, Ixos mcclellandii)
Alternate names for the mountain bulbul include the green-winged bulbul, McClelland's bulbul, McClelland's rufous-bellied bulbul, mountain streaked bulbul, and rufous-bellied bulbul.


The mountain bulbul (Ixos mcclellandii) is a songbird species in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.
The bird is found in Southeast Asia.


The family name is from Greek: puknos "thick" or "compact" and -nōtos "-backed".
Ixos the Ancient Greek for "mistletoe, birdlime".

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