Programs

The annual Red-vented Bulbul survey is a collaboration between Harris County Precinct 4 and Houston Audubon's Community Science projects. This introduced species, native to India and Southeast Asia, was first reported in Houston in 1958. However, it wasn't until 2022 that Red-vented Bulbul was added to the official Texas bird list, thanks to the efforts of Mike Austin, David Bradford, and Stephan Lorenz, who petitioned the Texas Bird Record Committee. Their successful petition included much of the data from this survey.

We are still trying to monitor and collect data on the Red-vented Bulbul population in Houston. Topics of interest include population trends (e.g. growth, spread, saturation), preferred vegetation for foraging and nesting, and response to significant weather events (e.g. extreme freezes, droughts, and flooding).

The survey will be Saturday, June 1, 2024, from 7:00 am to 9:00 am in the Heights and surrounding areas. The routes are approximately 2 miles long and should be walked, playing calls at likely spots and recording the bulbuls you detect (what they are doing and where they are perched). You may find a nest, and we would like additional information such as tree species or behavior observed.

If you are hoping to add this species to your Texas list, please let us know and we will make sure you are on a survey route that typically has bulbuls. While most routes have bulbuls annually, we are also surveying sites not known to have bulbuls in an effort to document range expansion. If you would like to participate, please fill out the registration form (see below). After signing up, you will receive an information packet for your assigned route. Email bulbulsurvey@gmail.com if you have any questions.