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26

White-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis) Alternate name(s): "White-cheeked Bulbul" Size: 17.5-19 cm Weight: 29-35 g (race "mesopotamia")

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

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Both sexes of White-eared Bulbuls look alike. They have a black head and neck, 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, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the White-eared Bulbul is available HERE . There are two extant races of White-eared Bulbuls. All together, they 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. Nominate race "leucotis" exists in southern Iran, southern Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India. The range of race "mesopotamia" extends from southern Iraq and south-western Iran to north-eastern Arabia. In Arabia White-cheeked Bulbuls, race "mesopotamia", are found along a broad northern (near-)coastal strip. However, note that, apart from a population in Bahrain, the rest, from Kuwait via eastern Saudi Arabia, the UAE and via Musandam into northern Oman, as far as Ras Al Hadd, on the north-eastern tip of the Arabian peninsula, and in some inland locations (oases) in the interior of Saudi Arabia, are considered to be introduced. 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 Race "mesopotamia" White-eared Bulbuls, race "mesopotamia", 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

Race "mesopotamia"

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 shower
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

Lateral view of a White-eared Bulbul looking at the observer
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

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

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

Lateral/ventral view of a White-eared Bulbul, with a clear view of the orange-yellow vent
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a White-eared Bulbul searching for food, again with a clear view of the orange-yellow vent
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a 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]

Family of White-eared Bulbuls with three juvenile (and a few House Sparrows in the vicinity)
[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).

Near-frontal view of a 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 shrub
[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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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Fri, 2 June 2023, 20:54 +00:00