[5] The brown-eared bulbul is common in a very large range that includes the Russian Far East (including Sakhalin), northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan, south to Taiwan and the Babuyan and Batanes island chains in the north of the Philippines.

[1] Historically, brown-eared bulbuls were migratory 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.

They are considered agricultural pests in some areas of Japan where they may invade orchards and damage crops such as cabbages, cauliflowers and spinach.

[4] In summer, brown-eared bulbuls primarily feed on insects, while they mostly take fruits and seeds in the fall and winter.

[6][7] At this time, they also feed on the nectar from Camellia flowers, becoming dusted with yellow pollen in the process.