White-eared bulbul
White-eared bulbul | |
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In Vasai, Maharashtra, India | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Pycnonotidae |
Genus: | Pycnonotus |
Species: | P. leucotis
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Binomial name | |
Pycnonotus leucotis (Gould, 1836)
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Native range of P. leucotis (light green) and P. leucogenys (dark green) in the South Asian region | |
Synonyms | |
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The white-eared bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis), or white-cheeked bulbul, or Iraqi bulbul, is a member of the bulbul 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. The white-eared bulbul is considered to belong to a superspecies along with the Himalayan bulbul, white-spectacled bulbul, African red-eyed bulbul, Cape bulbul, and the common bulbul.[2] Formerly, some authorities considered the white-eared bulbul to be a subspecies of the Himalayan Bulbul. The alternate name, white-cheeked bulbul, is also used by the Himalayan bulbul. In Iran it is called Date Bulbul and it used to be only found in the southern part of the country; in recent years people in Tehran, the capital of Iran, also refer to it as "Tehran Bulbul".[3] >
Subspecies[]
Two subspecies are recognized:[4]
- Arabian white-cheeked bulbul (P. l. mesopotamia) - Ticehurst, 1918: Found in north-eastern Arabia, southern Iraq and south-western Iran
- P. l. leucotis - (Gould, 1836): Found in southern Iran, southern Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India
Description[]
![]() | This section does not cite any sources. (December 2021) |
This species is very similar in appearance to the Himalayan white-cheeked bulbul but smaller and uncrested, and with a larger white cheek patch. It has a pale bare eye-ring. The vent is orange yellow. Sexes are alike.
It is found in scrub forest and gardenland. Also found in flocks or pairs in the mangroves, gorging on the fruits of the Meswak bush. Usually seen in pairs or small groups. It feeds on fruits and insects, and breeds in March–June.
Conservation[]
The species is listed by the IUCN as “Least Concern” as of 2018 but population sizes are declining.[1]
Gallery[]
At Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
P. l. leucotis, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
P. l. mesopotamia in Musandam Peninsula, Oman
In Babylon, Iraq
At Seawoods, Navi Mumbai
References[]
- ^ a b BirdLife International (2018). "Pycnonotus leucotis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22712687A132101885. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22712687A132101885.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Himalayan Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys)". www.hbw.com. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ http://fhnews.ir/fa/news/79802/The Bulbul of Dates
- ^ "Bulbuls « IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- 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[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pycnonotus leucotis. |
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Pycnonotus
- Birds of Afghanistan
- Birds of Pakistan
- Birds of India
- Birds of the Middle East
- Birds described in 1836
- Pycnonotidae stubs