The white-eared bulbul (''Pycnonotus leucotis'') is a member of the

bulbul 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, tropic ...

family. It is found in south-western Asia from India to the Arabian peninsula.

Taxonomy and systematics

The white-eared bulbul was originally described in the genus ''

Ixos ''Ixos'' is a genus of passerine birds in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. Taxonomy and systematics The genus ''Ixos'' was introduced in 1825 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck to accommodate the Javan bulbul. The genus name is th ...

''. The white-eared bulbul is considered to belong to a

superspecies In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

along with the

Himalayan bulbul The Himalayan bulbul (''Pycnonotus leucogenys''), or white-cheeked bulbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family found in Central and South Asia. Taxonomy and systematics The Himalayan bulbul is considered to belong to a superspecies a ...

white-spectacled bulbul The white-spectacled bulbul (''Pycnonotus xanthopygos'') is a member of the bulbul family. It is in length with a wingspan of . These birds live in fruit plantations, gardens, and cities. It is the most common member of the bulbul family in Isr ...

African red-eyed bulbul The African red-eyed bulbul or black-fronted bulbul (''Pycnonotus nigricans'') is a species of songbird in the family Pycnonotidae. It is found in south-western Africa. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, ...

Cape bulbul The Cape bulbul (''Pycnonotus capensis'') is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in coastal bush, open forest, gardens and fynbos in western and southern South Africa. This species nests mainly in t ...

, and the

common bulbul The common bulbul (''Pycnonotus barbatus'') is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is widespread throughout most of Africa except for the very arid areas. Ten subspecies are recognised based on the geographical variation in plumag ...

. Formerly, some authorities considered the white-eared bulbul to be a subspecies of the Himalayan Bulbul.

Subspecies

Two

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

are recognized: * Arabian white-cheeked bulbul (''P. l. mesopotamia'') -

Ticehurst Ticehurst is both a village and a large civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. The parish lies in the upper reaches of both the Bewl stream before it enters Bewl Water and in the upper reaches of the River Rother flow ...

, 1918: Found in north-eastern Arabia, southern Iraq and south-western Iran * ''P. l. leucotis'' - (

Gould Gould may refer to: People * Gould (name), a surname Places United States * Gould, Arkansas, a city * Gould, Colorado, an unincorporated community * Gould, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Gould, Oklahoma, a town * Gould, West Virginia, an ...

, 1836): Found in southern Iran, southern Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India

Description and vocalisations

The white-eared bulbul is rotund in appearance, and has a brownish-grey body. The tail of this bird is relatively long, tapering outwards. Starting off black, the tail feathers end in white tips. The head of the white-eared bulbul is black, with the area around its cheeks bearing a large white spot. The eye rings of the bulbul are bare, and the beak short. The vent of the bird is bright yellow. The white-eared bulbul does not have a uniform song but rather a set of notes, which can be used to chirp different melodies. The song is brief, but is described as being "pleasant and fluid."

Distribution

It is native to the western reaches of India, much of Pakistan, southern Afghanistan, coastal Iran, as well as much of the two-river basin in Iraq, Kuwait and the island of Bahrain. It has been introduced to the remaining Persian Gulf countries including Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

Ecology

Usually the females build the nest, which is constructed in the shape of a messy cup from thin twigs, dry grass, and various plant fibers, and is located in a hidden spot on trees. The clutch contains 2–4 eggs, usually 3, very rarely 5. The eggs are creamy white with purple spots. The incubation, which is made by the female, lasts 13–14 days in Pakistan, or 10.5–12.5 days in Iraq. Both parents participate in feeding the chicks, which fledge after 9–11 days (in Iraq). Of 19 nests in Iraq, only three (about 16%) have raised a new generation; this is likely due to predation by crows , as many nests are only poorly concealed. This is a

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a relationship of two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or serial monogamy, contrasts with various forms of non-monogamy (e.g. ...

species , and males tend to aggressively defend nesting territories from other males

Conservation

The species is listed by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

as "

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

" as of 2018 but population sizes are declining. In

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, the white-eared bulbul is a popular cage bird, and many households keep it as a

pet A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/ cute appearances, inte ...

for its melodious song. Although capturing and keeping wild birds is technically illegal under Iranian law, the practice is widespread, and the

Department of Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

generally does not enforce regulations for this species. This widespread captivity raises concerns among conservationists, as it can impact wild populations by encouraging illegal trapping and trade.

Gallery

File:White eared Bulbul I2-Bharatpur IMG 8495.jpg, At Bharatpur,

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

, India File:White-eared bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis leucotis).jpg, ''P. l. leucotis'', Bharatpur,

, India File:White-eared bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis mesopotamia).jpg, ''P. l. mesopotamia'' in

Musandam Peninsula The Musandam Peninsula (), locally known as Ruus Al Jibal ( Capes of the Mountains), is a peninsula that forms the northeastern point of the Arabian Peninsula. Geography The peninsula lies to the south of the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persia ...

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

File:White-eared bulbuls (12801293303).jpg, In

Babylon Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...

, Iraq File:White-eared Bulbul AMSM5980 WCBU.jpg, ''P. l. leucotis'' at

Jamnagar Jamnagar () is a city and the headquarters of Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch, some west of the state capital, Gandhinagar. The city was the capital of Nawanagar State, Na ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

File:White Eared Bulbul Mumbai.jpg, At Seawoods,

Navi Mumbai Navi Mumbai (; also known as New Bombay, its official name until 1995) is a large city next to Mumbai, located in the Konkan division of the western Indian state of Maharashtra, on the mainland of India. Navi Mumbai is situated in Thane distr ...

File:Your Barbed wire can not stop me.jpg, In

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

File:روباه و بلبل گوش‌سفید، بهبهان.jpg, alt=White-Eared Bulbul Wary of a Fox, Behbahan, Iran, White-eared bulbul watching out for a

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

Behbahan Behbahan () is a city in the Central District of Behbahan County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Etymology The origin of word 'Behbahan' can be traced back to two distinct ideas. Accord ...

, Iran File:White-Eared Bulbul in Behbahan.jpg, alt=White-Eared Bulbul on a Ziziphus Tree, Behbahan, White-eared bulbul on a

Ziziphus ''Ziziphus'' is a genus of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It includes 68 species native to tropical and subtropical Africa, Eurasia, and Australia and tropical South America. The leaves are alternate, entire, ...

tree,

References

* Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (1999) and multiple reprints. Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp, Oxford University Press, New Delhi

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet
white-eared bulbul Birds of Afghanistan Birds of Pakistan Birds of India Birds of the Arabian Peninsula Birds of the Middle East white-eared bulbul {{Pycnonotidae-stub