birds moving to the southern parts of their 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. Most brown-eared bulbuls still move south in winter, often forming huge flocks during migration. They are considered agricultural pests in some areas of Japan where they may invade orchards and damage crops such as cabbages, cauliflowers and spinach. Behaviour Breeding Around five eggs are laid by the female, which then incubates them. Brown-eared bulbuls are frequently parasitized by cuckoos, whose chicks will push bulbul eggs and chicks out of the nest. Feeding In summer, brown-eared bulbuls primarily feed on insects, while they mostly take fruits and seeds in the fall and winter. At this time, they also feed on the nectar from Camellia flowers, becoming dusted with yellow pollen in the process. In this way they help to pollinate the flowers at a time of year when there are few insect pollinators around. Diseases H. amaurotis is a host for the haemosporidian disease Haemoproteus philippinensis (Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) philippinensis). References Further reading Available at Gallica (search for "Gray") External links Brown-eared bulbul at Avibase Damage to Crops by Birds study at Okinawa University brown-eared bulbul Birds of Japan Birds of Korea Birds of Taiwan brown-eared bulbul Taxa named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck