Brown-eared bulbul

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Brown-eared bulbul
The brown-eared bulbul after playing with water.jpg
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Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pycnonotidae
Genus: Hypsipetes
Species:
H. amaurotis
Binomial name
Hypsipetes amaurotis
(Temminck, 1830)
Hypsipetes amaurotis distribution map.png
Distribution map
  breeding area
  resident
  wintering area
Synonyms
  • Turdus amaurotisTemminck, 1830
  • Ixos amaurotis(Temminck, 1830)
  • Microscelis amaurotis [2]

The brown-eared bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis) is a medium-sized bulbul native to eastern Asia. It is extremely common within the northern parts of its range and can be found from southern Karafuto to the northern Philippines.

Contents

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Taxonomy and systematics

The brown-eared bulbul was originally described in the genus Turdus . Later, some authorities placed it in the genus Ixos and then the genus Microscelis, before being re-classified to Hypsipetes in 2010. [3] Alternate names for the brown-eared bulbul include the Asian brown-eared bulbul, chestnut-eared bulbul, and Eurasian brown-eared bulbul.

Subspecies

Twelve subspecies are currently recognized:

Description

Adult, subspecies squamiceps, Kyoto (Japan) Brown-eared Bulbul. Ixos amaurotis squamiceps.jpg
Adult, subspecies squamiceps, Kyoto (Japan)

Reaching a length of about 28 cm (11 in), brown-eared bulbuls are grayish-brown, with brown cheeks (the "brown ears" of the common name) and a long tail. While they prefer forested areas, they readily adapt to urban and rural environments, and their noisy squeaking calls are a familiar sound in most areas of Japan. [4] One author described the song of the brown-eared bulbul as "one of the most unattractive noises made by any bird". [5]

Distribution and habitat

The brown-eared bulbul is common in a very large range that includes the Russian Far East (including Sakhalin), northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan, south to Taiwan and the Babuyan and Batanes island chains in the north of the Philippines. [1]

Historically, brown-eared bulbuls were migratory birds moving to the southern parts of their range in winter, but they have taken advantage of changes in crops and farming practices in recent decades to overwinter in areas farther north than previously possible. Most brown-eared bulbuls still move south in winter, often forming huge flocks during migration. They are considered agricultural pests in some areas of Japan where they may invade orchards and damage crops such as cabbages, cauliflowers and spinach. [4]

Behaviour

Breeding

Around five eggs are laid by the female, which then incubates them. Brown-eared bulbuls are frequently parasitized by cuckoos, whose chicks will push bulbul eggs and chicks out of the nest. [4]

Feeding

In summer, brown-eared bulbuls primarily feed on insects, while they mostly take fruits and seeds in the fall and winter. [6] [7] At this time, they also feed on the nectar from Camellia flowers, becoming dusted with yellow pollen in the process. In this way they help to pollinate the flowers at a time of year when there are few insect pollinators around. [4]

Diseases

H. amaurotis is a host for the haemosporidian disease Haemoproteus philippinensis (Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) philippinensis). [8] :485–486

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulbul</span> Family of birds

The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical Asia to Indonesia, and north as far as Japan. A few insular species occur on the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean. There are 166 species in 32 genera. While different species are found in a wide range of habitats, the African species are predominantly found in rainforest, whereas Asian bulbuls are predominantly found in more open areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">True thrush</span> Genus of birds

True thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Turdus of the wider thrush family, Turdidae. The genus name Turdus is Latin for "thrush". The term "thrush" is used for many other birds of the family Turdidae as well as for a number of species belonging to several other families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-browed bulbul</span> Species of bird

The yellow-browed bulbul, or golden-browed bulbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in the forests of southern India and Sri Lanka. The yellow-browed bulbul is mainly yellow on the underside and olive above with a distinct yellow brow. They are easily located by their loud calls but tend to skulk within foliage below the forest canopy. While its taxonomic classification has changed over time, it is currently the sole species within the monotypic genus Acritillas which is closely related to Hemixos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black bulbul</span> Species of bird

The black bulbul, also known as the Himalayan black bulbul or Asian black bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found primarily in the Himalayas, its range stretching from India eastward to Southeast Asia. It is the type species of the genus Hypsipetes, established by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in the early 1830s. There are a number of subspecies, mostly varying in the shade of the body plumage which ranges from grey to black, and some also occur in white-headed morphs, as also suggested by its specific epithet leucocephalus, literally "white head". The legs and bill are always rich orange-red.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light-vented bulbul</span> Species of bird

The light-vented bulbul, also called the Chinese bulbul, is a species of bird in the bulbul family found in central and southern China, Hong Kong, Macao, northern Vietnam, southern Japan and Taiwan, with occasional records from South Korea. A common species of songbird that favors lightly wooded habitats, it can frequently be seen in towns, suburbs and urban parks within its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seram golden bulbul</span> Species of songbird

The Seram golden bulbul is a species of songbird in the family Pycnonotidae. It is endemic to the Moluccas. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with the northern golden bulbul and the Buru golden bulbul. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut bulbul</span> Species of bird

The chestnut bulbul or chestnut-backed bulbul is a songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1870. It is found in southern China and northern Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<i>Hemixos</i> Genus of birds

Hemixos is a songbird genus in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.

<i>Hypsipetes</i> Genus of birds

Hypsipetes is a genus of bulbuls, songbirds in the family Pycnonotidae. Most of its species occur in tropical forests around the Indian Ocean. But while the genus is quite diverse in the Madagascar region at the western end of its range it does not reach the African mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain bulbul</span> Species of bird

The mountain bulbul is a songbird species in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is often placed in Hypsipetes, but seems to be closer to the type species of the genus Ixos, the Sunda bulbul. It is found in Southeast Asia and is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN. It is named after British East India Company Surgeon John McClelland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-headed bulbul</span> Species of bird

The white-headed bulbul is a songbird species in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowish bulbul</span> Species of songbird

The yellowish bulbul is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.

<i>Ixos</i> Genus of birds

Ixos is a genus of passerine birds in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulphur-bellied bulbul</span> Species of bird

The sulphur-bellied bulbul is a songbird species in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is endemic to Palawan (Philippines). Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine bulbul</span> Species of bird

The Philippine bulbul is a songbird species in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zamboanga bulbul</span> Species of bird

The Zamboanga bulbul is a songbird species in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests of Basilan and the Zamboanga Peninsula. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streak-breasted bulbul</span> Species of bird

The streak-breasted bulbul is a songbird species in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.

<i>Iole</i> (bird) Genus of birds

Iole is a genus of songbirds in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. They are native to tropical eastern Asia, from India to China and south through Southeast Asia to northern Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visayan bulbul</span> Species of bird

The Visayan bulbul or Steere's bulbul, is a songbird species in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2018). "Hypsipetes amaurotis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22713192A131969016. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22713192A131969016.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Gregory (2000)
  3. "Taxonomy Version 2 « IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hooper, Rowan (12 May 2005). "Brown-eared bulbul". The Japan Times . Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  5. Fishpool, L.D.C.; Tobias, J.A. (2005). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Christie, D.A. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 10: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. p. 146. ISBN   978-84-87334-72-6.
  6. Brazil, Mark (8 March 2016). "Noisy bulbuls change with the seasons". The Japan Times . Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  7. Japan Bird Research Association. "Brown-eared Bulbul" (PDF). Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  8. Valkiūnas, Gediminas (2005). Avian Malaria Parasites And Other Haemosporidia. Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. x+932+III Plates. ISBN   978-0-415-30097-1. OCLC   55066316. ISBN   978-0-203-64379-2. OCLC   70294116.

Further reading