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26

White-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis) Alternate name(s): "White-cheeked Bulbul" Size: 17-19 cm

Oman: Family Group 26 Family Group 26 Table Crested Lark Marsh Warbler Clamorous Reed Warbler Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Upcher's Warbler Graceful Prinia Streaked Scrub Warbler White-eared Bulbul Yellow-vented Bulbul Red-vented Bulbul Common Myna(h) Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds home page

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description White-eared Bulbuls are Starling-sized birds. Their head and neck are black, except for pure-white patches on their cheeks/ear coverts. The rest of the front, from the chest to the belly, is light-grey. The vent is rich orange-yellow. The entire back and tail are brownish-grey, with a thin white terminal band on the tail. The dark eyes are surrounded by pale bare eye-rings. The slightly downcurved slender bill is dark-grey. The legs and feet are also dark-grey. Juvenile White-eared Bulbuls have a paler head than adults and grey ear coverts. Their vent is pale-yellow. Twitcher's tip Comparing the photos below with those of Yellow-vented Bulbuls, one can notice that the vent of the White-eared Bulbul has a deeper hue of yellow.

Taxonomy, classification See White-eared Bulbul at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information White-eared Bulbuls are no longer considered to be conspecific with the Himalayan Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys).

Range, habitat Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the ebird.org website. The global distribution of the White-eared Bulbul is available HERE . White-eared Bulbuls populate an area spanning from the eastern Mediterranean coastline in the West to western India in the East. Although this is not shown in all field guides, White-eared Bulbuls, which are sedentary, are found in the near-coastal areas around both sides of the Persian Gulf, from Kuwait and the lowlands of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq, along the North coast of Arabia and the South coast of Iraq and Iran into southern Pakistan and on to about the north-western quarter of India. In Arabia White-cheeked Bulbuls are found along a broad (near-)coastal strip through eastern Saudi Arabia, the UAE and via Musandam into northern Oman and in some inland locations (oases) in the interior of Saudi Arabia. We have seen White-cheeked Bulbuls in an arboretum, where they preferably stayed in flowering trees and also in dense shrubs.

Sightings Click here for sighting information White-eared Bulbuls are permanent residents on the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, where we saw them regularly in the time frame August 2009 - May 2010.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a White-eared Bulbul
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

Near-frontal view of a White-eared Bulbul enjoying a drink and a bath
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

Lateral view of a White-eared Bulbul just out of the bath
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

Lateral view of a White-eared Bulbul
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Near-dorsal view of a White-eared Bulbul
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

Ventral view of a White-eared Bulbul showing clearly the orange-yellow vent
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

White-eared Bulbul searching for food
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Juvenile White-eared Bulbul approaching a pond to have a drink on a hot day, with temperatures in excess of 40 C
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, May 2010]

Pair of White-eared Bulbuls with its offspring - a total of three juvenile birds were seen (upper left, lower right and under the left adult bird); at first we mistook them for Yellow-vented Bulbuls, but the brownish neck colour and absence of a crest are inconsistent with such an identification
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]

Behaviour

Bulbuls are the only bird family known to us that will devour whole flowers. Below an example of a White-eared Bulbul is shown, but the same behaviour has also been observed in Yellow-vented Bulbuls.

Food, Diet

We have seen White-eared Bulbuls devour whole flowers (photo below).

White-eared Bulbul gulping down a flower
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Frontal view of a White-eared Bulbul with something it has found in an acacia tree
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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