Scaly-breasted bulbul

Scaly-breasted bulbul
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Pycnonotidae
Genus:	Rubigula
Species:	R. squamata
Binomial name
Rubigula squamata (Temminck, 1828)
Synonyms
Ixidia squamata Ixos squamatus Pycnonotus squamatus Rubigula squamata Ixodia squamata

The scaly-breasted bulbul (Rubigula squamata) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family. ^[2] It is found from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Taxonomy and systematics

The scaly-breasted bulbul was originally described in the genus Ixos and later moved to Pycnonotus . ^[3] Pycnonotus was found to be polyphyletic in molecular phylogenetic studies and three bulbul species, including the scaly-breasted bulbul, moved to Ixodia. ^{[4] [5]} In 2025 AviList merged Ixodia into a more broadly defined Rubigula. ^[2]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized: ^[2]

• R. s. webberi(Hume, 1879): originally described as a separate species. Found on the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra
• R. s. squamatus(Temminck, 1828): found on Java
• R. s. borneensis(Chasen, 1941): found on Borneo

References

1. BirdLife International. (2016). "Ixidia squamata (formerly as: Pycnonotus squamatus)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T22712628A94340285. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22712628A94340285.en . Retrieved 9 August 2020.
2. AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi: 10.2173/avilist.v2025 . Retrieved 17 November 2025.
3. "Pycnonotus jocosus - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela C. (eds.). "Family Pycnonotidae". IOC World Bird List . Version 10.2. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
5. Shakya, Subir B.; Sheldon, Frederick H. (2017). "The phylogeny of the world's bulbuls (Pycnonotidae) inferred using a supermatrix approach". Ibis. 159 (3): 498–509. doi: 10.1111/ibi.12464 . ISSN   0019-1019.