Streak-eared Bulbul

The streak-eared bulbul is a rather plain brownish bulbul whose most useful field mark is the fine pale streaking across the ear-coverts. Its upperparts are olive-brown, the underparts paler and the head lacks a strong crest or bright facial patch. The bill is short and slightly curved, suited to taking soft fruit. Subtle head streaking, voice and range are important for separating it from other drab Pycnonotus bulbuls (Wikipedia, general species account).

It occurs from Thailand and the northern and central Malay Peninsula east into southern Indochina, occupying moist lowland forest and wooded secondary habitats. The species is fruit-eating and moves through shrubs and trees in search of ripe crops, sometimes using parks and other modified landscapes with adequate cover. It was treated as the same species as the Ayeyarwady bulbul until 2016, so older accounts under Pycnonotus blanfordi may combine information from both taxa (Wikipedia, general species account; Yarnvudhi et al. 2022).