Bird Guide

Black Bulbul vs Brown-eared Bulbul

Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)

Black Bulbul

Hypsipetes leucocephalus

Small52 gForest

The black bulbul is 24–25 cm (9.4–9.8 in) in length, with a long tail. The body plumage ranges from slate grey to shimmering black, depending on the race. The beak, legs, and feet are all orange and the head has a black fluffy crest. Sexes are similar in plumage, but young birds lack the crest, have whitish underparts with a grey breast band, and have a brown tint to the upperparts. They have a black streak behind the eye and on the ear coverts. Voice: They can be quite noisy, making various loud cheeping, mewing and grating calls. The Himalayan form has been reported to make a call resembling a goat kid, throwing back its neck when calling.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Minori Kichise · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Mike Prince from Bangalore, India · CC BY 2.0
Brown-eared Bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis)

Brown-eared Bulbul

Hypsipetes amaurotis

Medium71 gForest

Reaching a length of about 28 cm (11 in), 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. Flocks of brown-eared bulbuls produce loud "shreep" and "weesp" calls throughout the year. One author described the song of the brown-eared bulbul as "one of the most unattractive noises made by any bird".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Toshihiro Gamo, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black Bulbul and Brown-eared Bulbul.