bulbul
noun
bul·bul
ˈbu̇l-ˌbu̇l 
1
: a songbird frequently mentioned in Persian poetry that is probably a nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)
2
: any of a group of gregarious passerine birds (family Pycnonotidae) of Asia and Africa
Examples of bulbul in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At a temple on the outskirts of the state capital, the bulbuls — songbirds about the size of a bluejay — fluttered up in the air and swooped down on their opponents, their owners holding a string tied around their legs.
—
Anupam Nath, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2024
For a bulbul, the costs of abandoning a nest and starting anew are huge.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 9 Feb. 2011
The parrots share the trees with parakeets, cockatoos, and exotics like India’s red-whiskered bulbul.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2021
Birdsong provides a natural soundtrack, as bulbuls, gray wagtails, warblers, blackbirds, and turtledoves all call the garden home.
—National Geographic, 20 Sep. 2019
To test the durability of the critters, Kenji Suetsugu, a biologist at Kobe University in Japan, and his team fed eggs from three species of stick insect to a brown-eared bulbul birds.
—Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, 30 May 2018
Found in eastern Asia, bulbuls are known predators of stick insects in Japan.
—Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, 30 May 2018
Many have particularly bright plumage, such as parrots, parakeets, and hornbills; others, such as the bulbul, sing.
—Longreads, 22 Mar. 2018
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Anupam Nath, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2024
For a bulbul, the costs of abandoning a nest and starting anew are huge.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 9 Feb. 2011
The parrots share the trees with parakeets, cockatoos, and exotics like India’s red-whiskered bulbul.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2021
Birdsong provides a natural soundtrack, as bulbuls, gray wagtails, warblers, blackbirds, and turtledoves all call the garden home.
—National Geographic, 20 Sep. 2019
To test the durability of the critters, Kenji Suetsugu, a biologist at Kobe University in Japan, and his team fed eggs from three species of stick insect to a brown-eared bulbul birds.
—Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, 30 May 2018
Found in eastern Asia, bulbuls are known predators of stick insects in Japan.
—Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, 30 May 2018
Many have particularly bright plumage, such as parrots, parakeets, and hornbills; others, such as the bulbul, sing.
—Longreads, 22 Mar. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Bulbul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bulbul. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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