The sombre greenbul (''Andropadus importunus'') is a member of the
bulbul
The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropic ...
family of
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
s. It is a resident breeder in coastal bush, evergreen forest and dry shrub land in eastern and southern Africa. It is the only member of the genus ''Andropadus''.
Taxonomy and systematics
Eighteen species of
greenbuls originally described in the genus ''Andropadus'' were re-classified to the genera ''
Arizelocichla'', ''
Stelgidillas'' and ''
Eurillas'' in 2010. This has left ''Andropadus'' as a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...
genus with the sombre greenbul remaining as its sole extant species.
The sombre greenbul was originally described in the genus ''
Turdus'' and was later re-classified to the genus ''Andropadus''. Alternatively, some authorities classify the sombre greenbul in the genus ''
Pycnonotus''. Alternate names for the sombre greenbul include the sombre bulbul, southern sombre bulbul and southern sombre greenbul.
Subspecies
Four
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
of the sombre greenbul are recognized:
* Zanzibar sombre greenbul (''A. i. insularis'') -
Hartlaub, 1861: Originally described as a separate species. Includes Frick's greenbul which was also originally described as a separate species. Found from southern Ethiopia and southern Somalia to eastern Tanzania
* Transvaal sombre greenbul (''A. i. importunus'') -
( Vieillot, 1818): Found from the highlands of northern South Africa and western Eswatini south along coast to Western Cape
* Endoto sombre greenbul (''A. i. oleaginus'') -
Peters, W, 1868: Found in southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and lowland northern South Africa
* ''A. i. hypoxanthus'' -
Sharpe, 1876: Found in south-eastern Tanzania to central Mozambique, central Zimbabwe and south-central Zambia
Former species
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus ''Andropadus'':
*
Shelley's greenbul (as ''Andropadus masukuensis'')
*
Kakamega greenbul (as ''Andropadus kakamegae'')
*
Cameroon greenbul (as ''Andropadus montanus'' or ''Andropadus concolor'')
*
Western greenbul (as ''Andropadus tephrolaemus'')
*
Olive-breasted greenbul (as ''Andropadus kikuyuensis'')
*
Mountain greenbul (as ''Andropadus nigriceps'')
*
Uluguru greenbul (as ''Andropadus neumanni'')
*
Black-browed greenbul
The black-browed mountain greenbul (''Arizelocichla fusciceps''), formerly the black-browed greenbul, is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in south-eastern Africa from south-western Tanzania to north-eastern Zambia, ...
(as ''Andropadus fusciceps'')
*
Yellow-throated greenbul (as ''Andropadus chlorigula'')
*
Stripe-cheeked greenbul (as ''Andropadus milanjensis'')
*
Olive-headed greenbul (as ''Andropadus olivaceiceps'')
*
Stripe-faced greenbul (as ''Andropadus striifacies'' or ''Andropadus striifascies'')
*
Slender-billed greenbul (as ''Andropadus gracilirostris'')
*
Little greenbul (as ''Andropadus virens'')
*
Little grey greenbul (as ''Andropadus gracilis'')
*
Ansorge's greenbul (as ''Andropadus ansorgei'')
*
Kavirondo little grey greenbul (as ''Charitillas kavirondensis'')
*
Plain greenbul (as ''Andropadus alexandri'' or ''Andropadus curvirostris'')
*
Yellow-whiskered greenbul (as ''Andropadus latirostris'')
*
Joyful greenbul (as ''Andropadus laetissimus'')
*
Falkenstein's greenbul (as ''Andropadus falkensteini'')
*
Yellow-streaked greenbul (as ''Andropadus flavostriatus'')
Description
The sombre greenbul is 15–18 cm long, with mainly dull greyish olive-green plumage, paler on the underparts than above. There are variations in colour based on habitat range. Individuals located in southern Africa tend to be plain, olive-green. To the north, birds are yellower with greener upper parts.
It has a white iris. The sexes are similar in plumage, but juveniles are even duller than the adult and have dark, grey eyes.
There is no colour distinction among sexes.
The subspecies ''A. i. hypoxanthus'' is much yellower below than the nominate subspecies.
The sombre greenbul is a vocal species, and the most typical call is a monotonous, ringing phrase starting with a penetrating single whistle ''weeeewee'', followed by a jumbled chortle and ending off with a rather plaintive, drawn-out whistle ''willy''. If agitated, a call of ''peeet peeet peeet'' repeatedly is likely to be heard.
Behaviour and ecology
The sombre greenbul is a common bird, which tends to stay hidden in foliage and is more often heard than seen. It is usually found in pairs or small groups foraging for insects, fruit and small snails.
References
* Sinclair, Hockey and Tarboton, ''SASOL Birds of Southern Africa'',
External links
* (Sombre greenbul =) Sombre bulbul
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
SASOL e-guide
{{Taxonbar, from=Q941386
sombre greenbul
sombre greenbul
Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa
sombre greenbul
Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot