Streak-eared Bulbul

WildlifeBird Photography
Written By Siddhartha Mukherjee

Pycnonotus conradi

Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand

For the streak-eared bulbul we venture down from the beautiful dois of Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park into the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand. This plain is separated from northeast Thailand by the Phetchabun mountain range, to the west the Tenasserim Hills separate it from Myanmar and in the north it is bounded by the Phi Pan Nam Range, one of the hilly systems of northern Thailand. Our area of interest lies in the dense rainforests on the eastern slopes of the Tenasserim Hills - the largest National Park in Thailand - the Kaeng Krachan National Park.

Kaeng Krachan National Park is located in Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan Provinces, about 60 km from Phetchaburi and 75 km from Hua Hin. Covering an area of 2,914 km² it is the largest national park in Thailand. The park is part of the Western Forex Complex that covers 18,730 km² across 19 protected sites between Myanmar and Thailand, bounded by the Tanintharyi Nature Reserve along Myanmar's border to the west. Declared as a national park on 12th June 1981 and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021, Kaeng Krachan National Park is one of the best national parks in the country.

It consists mainly of rain forest on the eastern slope of the Tenasserim Mountain Range. The highest elevation in the park is 1,513 meters, in a "joint area of Thailand and Myanmar". The second highest mountain peak is Kao Panern Toong with an elevation of 1,207 m. Two main rivers flow within the park area, the Pranburi River and the Phetchaburi River. Both rivers originate from the Tanaosri Mountain Range. In the north, Phetchaburi River flows into Kaeng Krachan Dam and flows further east all the way out to the Gulf of Thailand. Pranburi River flows south to Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, into Pran Buri Reservoir and out to the Gulf of Thailand.

Until a couple of decades, there used to be a significant tiger population in the park but now only a very few are left. There are also tapirs in the park, known from camera traps and hoof prints.

Thailand has been kind to me in terms of bird and wildlife photography and even otherwise when I have visited as a tourist. It is a country rich in culture, history and abundant wildlife. The Thai people are some of the gentlest people I have met and genuinely go out of their way to make a visitor comfortable. The following blogs showcase some of the beautiful people, birds and wildlife I have had the opportunity to meet.

  1. Birds on the Doi

  2. Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird

  3. Spot-breasted Parrotbill

  4. Mountain Bamboo Partridge

  5. Rufous-throated Partridge

Now onto the Streak-eared Bulbul.

Kaeng Krachan National Park is reputed to be one of the top two birdwatching spots in the country. Around 480 species of birds have been recorded from the park. For example, in Thailand, ratchet-tailed treepies can only be seen here, all seven Broadbill species and seven out of 14 hornbill species of Thailand have also been recorded in the park. Click on the link to view the Broadbills I have photographed so far.

There are also a few spots inside the forest where it is possible to set up bird hides. Our destination was one such hide, deep within the forest, and a considerable hike through the dense brush. Visiting various habitats will also increase the chances to see more variety of birds, along the streams, trails, fruit trees along the roads, ponds and different elevations. During the drier months a good option is to set up hides next to the water holes along the smaller dried streams.

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Streak-eared Bulbul

The Streak-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus conradi) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found from Thailand and northern and central Malay Peninsula to southern Indochina. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

The streak-eared bulbul was originally described in the genus Criniger. Until 2016, the streak-eared bulbul was considered to be conspecific with the Ayeyarwady bulbul while still using the name 'streak-eared bulbul' (as Pycnonotus blanfordi).

I’ve seen most people ignore the bulbul more often than not. But it should be noted that Bulbuls too have a large variety and not all are just a “booboo“.

Species in same genus

I have the good fortune to have photographed 9 of 14 of these beautiful bulbuls like the Sooty-headed Bulbul, Red-eyed Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Streak-eared Bulbul, Flavescent Bulbul, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Olive-winged bulbul & the Cream-vented bulbul.

It was an interesting situation with this bulbul and this particular part of my trip. Here I was using the Canon 7D Mark ii paired with the Tamron SP 150-600mm G2 and I was really struggling with the lack of light. The G2 was well and truly struggling to focus in the shadows and it took a fair bit of work to get the photos I have. All this while I was next to my good friend Johnny Tan, himself a distinguished and well published photographer, who was on the Canon 1Dx Mark ii & EF 600mm - a very painful situation to say the least. I had to get imaginative and leverage what light I had and also in most cases focus manually.

With that said I think it is time to move onto the gallery of this beautiful bulbul. A familiar bird of city parks and open habitats of the plains and lower hills of the mainland southeast Asia, the Streak-eared Bulbul has fairly nondescript olive-brown plumage, save for eponymous whitish streaking on the ear coverts. It is a rather vocal species, and is most often detected primarily by its harsh, rasping calls. It had long been considered conspecific with Ayeyarwady Bulbul (P. blanfordi); however, its range is largely distinct, with the only known area of overlap being in western Thailand.

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Siddhartha Mukherjee
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