White-eared bulbul

Pycnonotus leucotis

Photo by Carmelo López (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
white-eared bulbul (en); tuta-de-orelha-branca (pt); bulbul à oreillons blancs (fr); bulbul orejiblanco (es); weißohrbülbül (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pycnonotidae

Range:
This species is found from Iraq and eastern Saudi Arabia, through southern Iran and into southern Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India.

Size:
These birds are 18 cm long and weigh 30-45 g.

Habitat:
The white-eared bulbul is mostly found in dry savannas and scrublands, but also in reedbeds along rivers, streams, lakes and marshes, in mangroves, deserts, plantations, rural gardens and arable land.

Diet:
They feed on fruits and insects.

Breeding:
White-eared bulbuls breed in March-June. The nest is an open cup made of plant fibres, where the female lays 2-4 light brown eggs. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 14-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 15 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as locally common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to the irrigation of a few desert regions