Brown-eared Bulbul
Encyclopedia
The Brown-eared Bulbul is a medium-sized bulbul
which is found from the Russian Far East
(including Sakhalin
), northeastern China
, the Korean Peninsula
, and Japan
, south to Taiwan
and the Babuyan
and Batanes
island chains in the north of the Philippines
, occasionally being found in Luzon
. It is extremely common within the northern parts of its range, and is a familiar bird throughout Japan, where it is called hiyodori (ヒヨドリ), and Korea, where it is known as chinpan (직박). In Taiwan
on the other hand it is rare and limited to Orchid Island
http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/basiafeats/taiwan3.html.
Reaching a length of about 28 cm, Brown-eared Bulbuls are grayish-brown, with brown cheeks (the "brown ears" of the common name) and a long tail. While they prefer forested areas, they readily adapt to urban and rural environments, and their noisy squeaking calls are a familiar sound in most areas of Japan.
This species was long placed in the genus
Hypsipetes, at that time an indiscriminate assemblage of more or less related bulbul species. Later, its distinctness was recognized and it was variously placed in the genus Ixos or given a genus of its own, Microscelis. Analysis of mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase
subunit
s 2 and 3 and nDNA β-fibrinogen intron
7 sequence
data suggests that the treatment as monotypic
genus is most appropriate, at least as long as Hypsipetes is not merged into Ixos.
Historically, Brown-eared Bulbuls are migratory
birds moving to the southern parts of its range in winter, but they have taken advantage of changes in crops and farming practices in recent decades to overwinter in areas farther north than previously possible. As a result, they are considered agricultural pests in some areas of Japan. Most Brown-eared Bulbuls still move south in winter, often forming huge flocks during migration. In summer, Brown-eared Bulbuls primarily feed on insects, while they primarily take fruits and seeds in the fall and winter.
Bulbul
Bulbuls are a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds. Many forest species are known as greenbuls. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical Asia to Indonesia, and north as far as Japan. A few insular species occur on the tropical islands...
which is found from the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
(including Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
), northeastern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the Korean Peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, south to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and the Babuyan
Babuyan Islands
The Babuyan Islands form an archipelago located in the Luzon Strait north of Luzon island in the Philippines. It is separated from Luzon by the Babuyan Channel and from the Batanes Islands to its north by the Balintang Channel....
and Batanes
Batanes
The Province of Batanes , also called the Batanes Islands, is a Philippine province comprising ten islands that are located in the Luzon Strait between the islands of Luzon and Taiwan...
island chains in the north of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, occasionally being found in Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. It is extremely common within the northern parts of its range, and is a familiar bird throughout Japan, where it is called hiyodori (ヒヨドリ), and Korea, where it is known as chinpan (직박). In Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
on the other hand it is rare and limited to Orchid Island
Orchid Island
Orchid Island is a 45-km² volcanic island off the southeastern coast of Taiwan island and separated from the Batanes of the Philippines by the Bashi Channel of the Luzon Strait. It is governed as Lanyu Township of Taitung County...
http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/basiafeats/taiwan3.html.
Reaching a length of about 28 cm, Brown-eared Bulbuls are grayish-brown, with brown cheeks (the "brown ears" of the common name) and a long tail. While they prefer forested areas, they readily adapt to urban and rural environments, and their noisy squeaking calls are a familiar sound in most areas of Japan.
This species was long placed in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Hypsipetes, at that time an indiscriminate assemblage of more or less related bulbul species. Later, its distinctness was recognized and it was variously placed in the genus Ixos or given a genus of its own, Microscelis. Analysis of mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase
NADH dehydrogenase
NADH dehydrogenase is an enzyme located in the inner mitochondrial membrane that catalyzes the transfer of electrons from NADH to coenzyme Q...
subunit
Protein subunit
In structural biology, a protein subunit or subunit protein is a single protein molecule that assembles with other protein molecules to form a protein complex: a multimeric or oligomeric protein. Many naturally occurring proteins and enzymes are multimeric...
s 2 and 3 and nDNA β-fibrinogen intron
Intron
An intron is any nucleotide sequence within a gene that is removed by RNA splicing to generate the final mature RNA product of a gene. The term intron refers to both the DNA sequence within a gene, and the corresponding sequence in RNA transcripts. Sequences that are joined together in the final...
7 sequence
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
data suggests that the treatment as monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus is most appropriate, at least as long as Hypsipetes is not merged into Ixos.
Historically, Brown-eared Bulbuls are migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
birds moving to the southern parts of its range in winter, but they have taken advantage of changes in crops and farming practices in recent decades to overwinter in areas farther north than previously possible. As a result, they are considered agricultural pests in some areas of Japan. Most Brown-eared Bulbuls still move south in winter, often forming huge flocks during migration. In summer, Brown-eared Bulbuls primarily feed on insects, while they primarily take fruits and seeds in the fall and winter.
External links
- Brown-eared Bulbul at Avibase
- Damage to Crops by Birds study at Okinawa University