The red-vented bulbul pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) – a new invasive bird species breeding in Europe

Abstract

The Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) is an Asian bird species classified as one of the hundred most invasive species in the world. The breeding of the species (adults feeding the fledglings) was observed in 2018 in Costa Calma (Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Macaronesia). This is the first breeding record for Europe of this species. The first observation of the species was made in Corralejo (Fuerteventura) in 2003. In the period 2013–2018, an important range expansion of the species was recorded in Fuerteventura. In 2018, the species was also recorded in Valencia (Spain) for the first time.