Brown-eared Bulbul

Hypsipetes amaurotis (Temminck, 1830)

27–29 cmLength71 gWeight

It is gray-brown with a single rufous cheek patch, a long tail and noisy calls.

Busiest months: October–February and April–May · Most records: Japan, South Korea, China

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Gray-brown overall
Rufous-brown ear-coverts behind the eye, a key feature
Rather long tail

Voice

Noisy shrieks; in flocks, it gives loud “shreep” and “weesp” calls throughout the year.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: October–February and April–May · Most records: Japan, South Korea, China

Brown-eared Bulbul has been recorded at 317 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Edogawa Ward – Kasai Rinkai Park / Kasai Kaihin ParkJapan2,044 records
Nerima Ward – Shakujii ParkJapan1,090 records
Ota Ward – Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park (including Tidal Pond)Japan1,023 records

More places

Seoul – Olympic ParkSouth Korea821 records
Seoul – ChanggyeonggungSouth Korea805 records
Shinjuku Ward – Shinjuku Gyoen National GardenJapan748 records
Kyoto – Kyoto Gyoen Garden / Kyoto Imperial Palace ParkJapan659 records
Chiyoda Ward – Hibiya ParkJapan578 records
Osaka – Osaka Castle ParkJapan578 records
Shibuya Ward – Meiji Jingu ShrineJapan552 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Japan South Korea China Philippines

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

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 Sakhalin to the northern Philippines.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Brown-eared Bulbul?

The Brown-eared Bulbul is about 27–29 cm long and weighs around 71 g.

Where does the Brown-eared Bulbul live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: Japan to far northern Philippines. It is most often recorded in Japan, South Korea and China.

When is the best time to see the Brown-eared Bulbul?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February, April, May, October, November and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Brown-eared Bulbul endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Brown-eared Bulbul as Least Concern.

What does the Brown-eared Bulbul eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the Brown-eared Bulbul in?

It belongs to the family Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: 27–29 cm
Weight: 71 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Fruit
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 128 mm
Tail: 121 mm
Bill: 30 mm
Tarsus: 22 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: Japan to far northern Philippines

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2

Hypsipetes amaurotis amaurotis s Sakhalin Is., Japan and South Korea | non-breeding: to e China
Hypsipetes amaurotis nagamichii Taiwan (China) and Lanyu Is.