White-Eared Bulbul

The White-Eared Bulbul, also known as Bulbul Aghsha (Pycnonotus leucotis), is a registered common resident and breeding bird in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The White-Eared Bulbul is one of the most common bird species in cities and towns in the Eastern Province. It has long been found in stable numbers in the Eastern Province. However, it is unclear whether these birds were introduced to the area or endemic to it. Nonetheless, the White-Eared Bulbul was registered in al-Hufuf in 1923. It is also found in Dhahran. In 1981, the bird became a resident and common bird in Riyadh. It is also found in other cities and provinces, such as Jeddah, Tabuk, and al-Jawf. The bird's prevalence will most likely increase. Breeding pairs thereof amount to 140,000 pairs yearly in Saudi Arabia.

The height of the White-Eared Bulbul ranges between eighteen and nineteen cm, with a weight between twenty-nine and thirty-five cm. It is mostly active during daytime. It usually flies in pairs, within small groups consisting of five to six birds, or small flocks including twenty to thirty birds at times.

The White-Eared Bulbul feeds on fruits, buds, nectar, and invertebrates, including caterpillars, ants, and moths. It coexists with humans and feeds on small food scraps, such as breadcrumbs.

The White-Eared Bulbul often lives in orchards and gardens, even those located in large cities, and in the farms and shrubs surrounding villages.

It is one of the 550 bird species registered in Saudi Arabia, including 219 breeding birds, 280 migratory birds, fifty-one stray birds, and twenty-seven globally endangered species. Saudi Arabia is home to nineteen endemic and semi-endemic species of the Arabian Peninsula. Moreover, its geographical location between Eastern Asia, Europe, and Africa makes it one of the most important bird migration routes in the world.

The White-Eared Bulbul is mostly a socially monogamous bird that lives in breeding pairs in specific areas. Female birds are responsible for building nests and incubating eggs, while male birds guard the nests and eggs. In terms of parenting, male and female birds cooperate in caring for their younglings. Their nest takes the form of a messy cup. It is made of grass, twigs, roots, and possibly some string, wool, and paper. It is covered with fine grasses, roots, and hair. It is often placed at a height of one to two m, or as as high as seven m at times, in a tree, shrub, palm fronds, or even on top of a building.

The White-Eared Bulbul incubates two to three eggs over an incubation period of ten to twelve days. Incubation is often dual or takes a triple incubation form. Nesting requires nine to eleven days.

Globally, the White-Eared Bulbul is classified as a resident bird. It is found in the area extending from southern Iraq and the eastern Arabian Peninsula to the northwest of India.

The White-Eared Bulbul is not a regionally or globally endangered species. However, its global population curve is decreasing while its regional population curve is stable, even increasing.