The genus
Microtarsus was introduced in 1839 by the English naturalist
Thomas Campbell Eyton to accommodate a single species,
Microtarsus melanoleucos Eyton, the
black-and-white bulbul. This is the
type species. The species now placed in this genus were formerly included in the genus
Pycnonotus. A
molecular phylogenetic study of the
bulbul family published in 2017 found that
Pycnonotus was
polyphyletic. In the revision to create monophyletic genera
Microtarsus was resurrected to contain the
black-headed bulbul that was previously placed in
Pycnonotus. In 2025
AviList adopted more inclusive genera and merged
Brachypodius,
Euptilotus and
Poliolophus into
Microtarsus. The genus contains seven species: ==References==