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Brown-eared Bulbul

Hypsipetes amaurotis

Published on Project Noah
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36.1225, 133.097

Field Notes

Description:

Native form east Asia, a very common bird all through Japan, this bird is about 28cm most of it body is dark gray with with brown cheeks and a long tail. they used to be migratories but they have adapted well to the changes done in the areas due the agricultural expansion. They feed mostly on insect including walking-stick ; recently japaneses researchers find out that that they may contribute to expand the territory of those insects; as eggs have been found in their droppings ...

Habitat:

open areas including gardens edges of forest and deciduous forest

Notes:

Picture by Eytan Sequeira Mora (my son)
Known as Hiyodori (ヒヨドリ)

It's commonly assumed that when insects are eaten by birds, they and their unborn young have no chance of survival. However, a team of Japanese researchers hypothesized that the eggs within insect bodies can pass through birds undigested. They tested this hypothesis with stick insects, known for their hard eggs, and found that some eggs are excreted unharmed and successfully hatch. Stick insects cannot travel very far by themselves, so being eaten by birds could even contribute to expanding their habitat.

Read more at:
https://phys.org/news/2018-05-insects-territory-eaten-birds.html#jCp

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (4)

Thanks for the nomination. and yes that fact about the eggs been " dispersed " by the bird
Really interesting information about the insect eggs and the birds' eating them!
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Photographed
PublishedMay 29, 2018

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