Pycnonotidae
鵯科
bēi kē

General

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The bulbuls are all ornithologically known in Chinese as 鵯 bēi. This appears to be derived from the Japanese name of Hypsipetes amaurotis (Brown-eared Bulbul), which is written 鵯 in Chinese characters and pronounced hiyo-dori. The Japanese character usage is based on the old Chinese names 鵯鵊 and 鵯颊 (both bēi-jiá).

However, unlike other borrowings from Japanese, this name is not found in the earliest ornithological list of Chinese bird names (Chinese Birds (35) in 1927), which instead uses 布魯布魯 bùlǔ bùlǔ, from English 'bulbul', in turn borrowed from Indian usage.

A couple of bulbuls have vernacular Chinese names comparing them to old men or women. The most commonly seen bulbul, the Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis), is known as 白頭翁 bái-tóu wēng or 'white-headed old-man', referring to the white patch on the nape which becomes even whiter as the bird gets older. This name is still ornithologically used in Taiwan but has been changed to 白頭鵯 bái-tóu bēi 'white-headed bulbul' in Mainland ornithological usage. Styan's Bulbul is known as 烏頭翁 wū-tóu wēng or 'dark-headed old-man'. Some vernacular southern names feature the word 公 gōng meaning 'old man' or 'grandfather': 白頭公 bái-tóu gōng 'white-headed old-man' is used for for Pycnonotus sinensis and 藍頭公 lán-tóu-gōng 'blue-headed old-man' for Spizixos semitorques (Collared Finchbill).

(It should be noted that 白頭翁 bái-tóu wēng 'white-headed old-man' is not necessarily confined to the bulbuls. The equivalent Japanese and Vietnamese terms, 白頭翁 hakutō-ō and Bạch đầu ông respectively, refer to varieties of starling. In Chinese the homophonous term 白頭鶲 bái-tóu wēng 'white-headed flycatcher' is an old vernacular name for the Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka.)

Species names

SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH		CHINESE			JAPANESE		OTHER
Hypsipetes
Latin	English	Chinese (Taiwan)	Chinese (Mainland)	Other Ch	Japanese	Other J	Korean	Vietnamese
Hypsipetes amaurotis Microscelis amaurotis Ixos amaurotis	Brown-eared bulbul Chestnut-eared bulbul	棕耳鵯 (棕耳鹎) zōng ěr bēi 'reddishbrown-eared bulbul'	(栗耳短腳鵯) 栗耳短脚鹎 lì-ěr duǎn-jiǎo-bēi 'chestnut-eared short-legged bulbul'	(蓝布鲁布鲁) 藍布魯布魯 lán bùlǔ bùlǔ 'blue bulbul' (from English 'bulbul') (early ornithological) (35)	ヒヨドリ (鵯) hiyo-dori 'bulbul-bird'	ヒヨ (鵯) hiyo 'bulbul' ヒエドリ (鵯) hie-dori 'hie bird'	직박구리 jikbakguri 'bulbul'
Hypsipetes leucocephalus	Black bulbul	紅嘴黑鵯 (红嘴黑鹎) hóng-zuǐ hēi-bēi 'red-billed black bulbul'	(黑短腳鵯) 黑短脚鹎 hēi duǎn-jiǎo-bēi 'black short-legged bulbul' or (黑鵯) 黑鹎 hēi-bēi 'black bulbul' (alt in 1, 3) Taxonomy	(山白头) 白山頭 shān bái-tóu 'mountain white head' (35) (白头黑鹎) 白頭黑鵯 bái-tóu hēi-bēi 'white-headed black bulbul' (白头黑布鲁布鲁) 白頭黑布魯布魯 bái-tóu hēi bùlǔ bùlǔ 'white-headed black bulbul' (from English 'bulbul') (early ornithological) (35)	クロヒヨドリ (黒鵯) kuro hiyo-dori 'black bulbul-bird'			Hypsipetes madagascariensis (12): Chim Cành cạch đen 'black bulbul2 (bird)' (onomat.) (12, 13, 34)
Spizixos
Latin	English	Chinese (Taiwan)	Chinese (Mainland)	Other Ch	Japanese	Other J	Korean	Vietnamese
Spizixos semitorques	Collared finchbill Collared finch-billed bulbul Swinhoe's finch-billed bulbul	白環鸚嘴鵯 (白环鹦嘴鹎) bái-huán yīng-zuǐ bēi 'white-ringed parrot-billed bulbul'	(領雀嘴鵯) 领雀嘴鹎 lǐng què-zuǐ bēi 'collared finch-billed bulbul' (1, 2, 3, 4) (綠鸚嘴鵯) 绿鹦嘴鹎 lǜ yīng-zuǐ bēi 'green parrot-billed bulbul' (5)	(蓝头公) 藍頭公 lán-tóu-gōng 'blue-headed old-man' (southern) (35) (中国圆最布鲁布鲁) 中國圓嘴布魯布魯 zhōng-guó yuán-zǔi bùlǔ bùlǔ 'Chinese round-billed bulbul' (from English 'bulbul') (early ornithological) (35)	カヤノボリ (萱昇) kaya-nobori 'thatch climber'			Chim Chào mào khoang cổ 'streak-necked bulbul1 (bird)' (12, 13, 34)
Pycnonotus
Latin	English	Chinese (Taiwan)	Chinese (Mainland)	Other Ch	Japanese	Other J	Korean	Vietnamese
Pycnonotus sinensus	Light-vented bulbul Chinese bulbul	白頭翁 (白头翁) bái-tóu wēng 'white-headed old-man'	(白頭鵯) 白头鹎 bái-tóu bēi 'white-headed bulbul'	(白头婆) 白頭婆 bái-tóu pō 'white-headed old-woman' (白头公) 白頭公 bái-tóu gōng 'white-headed old-man' (southern) (35)	シロガシラ (白頭) shiro-gashira 'white head'		줄무늬머리직박구리 julmunui-meori-jikbakguri 'stripe-headed bulbul' or 검은이마직박구리 geomeun-ima-jikbakguri 'black-eyebrowed bulbul'	Chim Bông lau Trung Quốc 'Chinese reed-blossom bird' (12, 13)
Pycnonotus taivanus	Styan's bulbul Formosan bulbul Taiwan bulbul	烏頭翁 (乌头翁) wū-tóu wēng 'dark-headed old-man'	(台灣鵯) 台湾鹎 táiwān bēi 'Taiwan bulbul'		クロガシラ (黒頭) kuro-gashira 'black head'

中国鸟类种和亚种分类名录大全（修订版） 郑作新 著 科学出版社 北京 2000年
A Complete Checklist of Species and Subspecies of the Chinese Birds (Revised Edition) by Cheng Tso-Hsin, Science Press, Beijing 2000

中国鸟类分类与分布名录 主编：郑光美 科学出版社 北京 2005年
A Checklist on the Classification and Distribution of the Birds of China Chief editor: Zheng Guangmei, Science Press, Beijing 2005

中国鸟类野外手册（中文版）约翰・马敬能、卡伦・菲利普斯，合作者：荷芬奇，翻译：卢和芬 湖南教育出版社 长沙 2000年
A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Chinese translation) by John MacKinnon, Karen Phillipps, in collaboration with He Fen-qi, translated by Lu Hefen, Hunan Jiaoyu Chubanshe (Hunan Educational Press) Changsha 2000

世界鸟类分类与分布名录 主编：郑光美 科学出版社 北京 2002年
A Checklist on the Classification and Distribution of the Birds of the World Chief editor: Zheng Guangmei, Science Press, Beijing 2002

世界鸟类名称（拉丁文、汉文、英文对照）第二版 郑作新等 科学出版社 北京 2002年
Birds of the World (Latin, Chinese and English Names) 2nd ed. by Cheng Tso-Hsin et al, Science Press, Beijing 2002

中国鸟类分布名录 第二版 郑作新 科学出版社 北京 1976年
(Checklist of the Classification of Birds of China 2nd edition by Cheng Tso-Hsin, Science Press, Beijing 1976)

香港及華南鳥類（第六版）（翻譯成中文及重新修訂） 尹璉、費嘉倫、林超英 香港性徵特區政府新聞處政府印務局 1994年
Birds of Hong Kong and South China (6th edition, translated into Chinese and newly revised) by Clive Viney, Karen Phillipps, Lin Chaoying, Hong Kong Govt. Press 1994

Danh Lục Chim Việt Nam (In lần thứ hai) (Checklist of the Birds of Vietnam) Võ Quý, Nguyễn Cử, Nhà Xuất Bản Nông Nghiệp, Hà Nội 1999

Chim Việt Nam Nguyễn Cử, Lê Trọng Trải, Karen Phillipps; Nhà Xuất Bản Lao Động - Xã Hội, 2000

Danh Lục Các Loài Chim ở Việt Nam (Latinh, Việt, Pháp, Hán) Trần Văn Chánh 2008-2009

Chinese Birds (A Tentative List of Chinese Birds) 中國鳥類（中國鳥類目錄試編） N. Gist Gee, Lacy I. Moffett, G. D. Wilder (祁天錫, 慕維德, 萬卓志), Peiping, 1927 (reprinted 1948)