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

greenbul The greenbuls are a group of birds within the bulbul family Pycnonotidae, found only within Africa. They are all largely drab olive-green above, and paler below, with few distinguishing features. The "aberrant greenbuls" of the genera '' Bernier ...

s originally described in the genus ''Andropadus'' were re-classified to the genera ''

Arizelocichla ''Arizelocichla'' is a genus of greenbuls, songbirds in the bulbul family (biology), family (Pycnonotidae). The genus was revived in 2010 when twelve species of bulbuls from the genus ''Andropadus'' were separated and re-classified in the genus ...

'', '' Stelgidillas'' and ''

Eurillas ''Eurillas'' is a genus of greenbuls, passerine birds in the bulbul family (biology), family Pycnonotidae. Taxonomy The genus ''Eurillas'' was introduced in 1899 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser with the little greenbul as the t ...

'' 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 ''Turdus'' is a genus of medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the wider thrush family, Turdidae. The genus name ''Turdus'' is Latin for 'thrush'. Most of the species are called thrushes; the term thrush is also used for man ...

'' and was later re-classified to the genus ''Andropadus''. Alternatively, some authorities classify the sombre greenbul in the genus ''

Pycnonotus ''Pycnonotus'' is a genus of frugivorous passerine birds in the bulbul family Pycnonotidae. Taxonomy and systematics The genus ''Pycnonotus'' was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1826 with the Cape bulbul as the type specie ...

''. 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 Louis Pierre Vieillot (10 May 1748, Yvetot – 24 August 1830, Sotteville-lès-Rouen) was a French ornithologist. Vieillot is the author of the first scientific descriptions and Linnaean names of a number of birds, including species he collecte ...

, 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 Shelley's greenbul (''Arizelocichla masukuensis'') or Shelley's bulbul, is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in east-central Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or trop ...

(as ''Andropadus masukuensis'') *

Kakamega greenbul Kakamega greenbul (''Arizelocichla kakamegae''), is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is native to the Lake Victoria region. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist montan ...

(as ''Andropadus kakamegae'') *

Cameroon greenbul The Cameroon mountain greenbul (''Arizelocichla montana'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in the Cameroonian Highlands forests. It is suspected to become rarer due to habitat loss, largely from agriculture, alt ...

(as ''Andropadus montanus'' or ''Andropadus concolor'') *

Western greenbul The western greenbul (''Arizelocichla tephrolaema'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in the Cameroonian Highlands forests. Taxonomy and systematics The western greenbul was originally described in the genus '' T ...

(as ''Andropadus tephrolaemus'') *

Olive-breasted greenbul The Kikuyu mountain greenbul (''Arizelocichla kikuyuensis''), also known as the olive-breasted greenbul, is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is native to the Lake Victoria region. Taxonomy and systematics The Kikuyu mountain ...

(as ''Andropadus kikuyuensis'') *

Mountain greenbul The black-headed mountain greenbul (''Arizelocichla nigriceps''), also known as the mountain greenbul or eastern mountain greenbul, is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is native to the eastern Afromontane. Its diet consists o ...

(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 The yellow-throated mountain greenbul (''Arizelocichla chlorigula''), also known as the yellow-throated greenbul, is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is native to the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. Taxonomy and systemati ...

(as ''Andropadus chlorigula'') * Stripe-cheeked greenbul (as ''Andropadus milanjensis'') * Olive-headed greenbul (as ''Andropadus olivaceiceps'') *

Stripe-faced greenbul The olive-headed greenbul (''Arizelocichla striifacies'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is native to the eastern Afromontane. Taxonomy The olive-headed greenbul was species description, formally described in 1895 by th ...

(as ''Andropadus striifacies'' or ''Andropadus striifascies'') *

Slender-billed greenbul The slender-billed greenbul (''Stelgidillas gracilirostris'') is a species in the monotypic genus ''Stelgidillas'' of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in western and central Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropica ...

(as ''Andropadus gracilirostris'') *

Little greenbul The little greenbul (''Eurillas virens'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Taxonomy and systematics The little greenbul was originally described in the genus ''Andropadus'' an ...

(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 The joyful greenbul (''Chlorocichla laetissima'') or joyful bulbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in east-central Africa. Its natural habitats are boreal forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane ...

(as ''Andropadus laetissimus'') *

Falkenstein's greenbul Falkenstein's greenbul (''Chlorocichla falkensteini'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found from western Cameroon and Central African Republic to central Angola. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropi ...

(as ''Andropadus falkensteini'') *

Yellow-streaked greenbul The yellow-streaked greenbul or yellow-streaked bulbul (''Phyllastrephus flavostriatus'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in eastern and south-eastern Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropic ...

(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 The sombre greenbul (''Andropadus importunus'') is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. 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 ...

Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa

Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot