Scientific name: Pycnotus cafer

Classification: Phylum: Chordata. Class: Aves

Origin: Introduced from India in the 1950s or 1960s; illegal caged release.

Status: Common

Distribution: O`ahu only

Sound file:

Map: --

This species is one of two bulbuls that occur in Hawai‘i. The other is the red-whiskered bulbul. This bird is a noisy garden pests and eat orchid bulbs as well as many types of fruits. In 1989, it caused an estimated $300,000 in damage to the orchid industry on O‘ahu. Bulbuls also are aggressive and are probably displacing many native birds.See also card. no. 70, the Asian Spinyback Spider