The Nicobar bulbul was formally described in 1854 by the English entomologist and ornithologist Frederic Moore under the current binomial name Hypsipetes nicobariensis.

[2][3][4] The Nicobar bulbul was formerly usually placed in the genus Ixos but was moved to Hypsipetes based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2024.

Its wings, back and tail are dull dusky green; the face is lighter, and the throat and underside are yellowish-white.

[7] The Nicobar Islands were hit hard by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the central group was perhaps most severely affected, with at least hundreds, maybe thousands of its inhabitants dead.

On Katchall, there was perhaps the highest loss of life in the entire Nicobars, but this was due to catastrophic destruction of settled areas and much of the island's interior forest was not affected.

On Teressa, the low-lying plains suffered extensive flooding, bisecting the island in fact, but the remaining forest fragments are mostly confined to the hills and were spared.