Brown-eared Bulbul
Hypsipetes amaurotis

Brown-eared Bulbuls (named for the brown cheek patches) are a fairly common bird in Japan and also occur in Sakhalin, Korea, Eastern China and as far south as the northern Phillipines. They are thrush-sized at ~28 cm and have a wide range of calls. Their diet consists of insects, fruit, blossoms and seeds. Previously, they were mainly migratory, spending the winter further south, but have taken advantage of agriculture in order to overwinter. They have been moved around through several changes of genus, finally returning to Hypsipetes after being classified as part of Ixos and Microscelis.
 

1: Tamagawa, Seiseki-sakuragaoka, 24/05/2012.