bulbul

American  

[bool-bool] / ˈbʊl bʊl /

noun

1. a songbird often mentioned in Persian poetry, regarded as being a nightingale.

2. any of several oscine birds of the family Pycnonotidae, of the Old World tropics.

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bulbul British  

/ ˈbʊlbʊl /

noun

1. any songbird of the family Pycnonotidae of tropical Africa and Asia, having brown plumage and, in many species, a distinct crest

2. a songbird, taken to be the nightingale, often mentioned in Persian poetry

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Etymology

Origin of bulbul

Borrowed into English from Persian around 1775–85

Example Sentences

The red-vented bulbul is not currently listed as a threatened or endangered species.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2024

Both now have extra protections through new trade restrictions agreed at the global wildlife summit, with a complete ban on trading for the straw-headed bulbul.

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2022

The parrots share the trees with parakeets, cockatoos, and exotics like India’s red-whiskered bulbul.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 20, 2021

The common bulbul must have invaded Africa early on in its evolutionary history and done well on the continent.

From New York Times • Jul. 26, 2010

This bulbul was common in the cocoa at the Cocoa Research Station.

From Birds from North Borneo University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History, Volume 17, No. 8, pp. 377-433, October 27, 1966 by Thompson, Max C.