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, tropical ...
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 are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
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
''Arizelocichla'' is a genus of greenbuls, songbirds in the bulbul 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 ''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 "unispec ...
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
''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 speci ...
''. Alternate names for the sombre greenbul include the sombre bulbul, southern sombre bulbul and southern sombre greenbul.
Subspecies
Four
subspecies of the sombre greenbul are recognized:
* Zanzibar sombre greenbul (''A. i. insularis'') -
Hartlaub
Karel Johan Gustav Hartlaub (8 November 1814 – 29 November 1900) was a German physician and ornithologist.
Hartlaub was born in Bremen, and studied at Bonn and Berlin before graduating in medicine at Göttingen. In 1840, he began to study and ...
, 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
Kakamega greenbul (''Arizelocichla kakamegae''), 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 tropical moist montane for ...
(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 (as ''Andropadus fusciceps'')
*
Yellow-throated greenbul (as ''Andropadus chlorigula'')
*
Stripe-cheeked greenbul
The stripe-cheeked greenbul (''Arizelocichla milanjensis'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in south-eastern Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Taxonomy and systematics ...
(as ''Andropadus milanjensis'')
*
Olive-headed greenbul
The olive-headed greenbul (''Arizelocichla olivaceiceps'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in south-eastern Africa.
Taxonomy and systematics
The olive-headed greenbul was originally described in the genus '' Cri ...
(as ''Andropadus olivaceiceps'')
*
Stripe-faced greenbul
The stripe-faced greenbul (''Arizelocichla striifacies'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in Africa from south-eastern Kenya to south-western Tanzania.
Taxonomy and systematics
The stripe-faced greenbul was orig ...
(as ''Andropadus striifacies'' or ''Andropadus striifascies'')
*
Slender-billed greenbul (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'' ...
(as ''Andropadus virens'')
*
Little grey greenbul
The little grey greenbul (''Eurillas gracilis'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds.
It is widely distributed across the African tropical rainforest.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and s ...
(as ''Andropadus gracilis'')
*
Ansorge's greenbul
Ansorge's greenbul (''Eurillas ansorgei'') or Ansorge's bulbul, is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds.
It is found in western and central Africa.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Taxonomy and ...
(as ''Andropadus ansorgei'')
*
Kavirondo little grey greenbul (as ''Charitillas kavirondensis'')
*
Plain greenbul
The plain greenbul (''Eurillas curvirostris'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds.
It is found in western and central Africa.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland fo ...
(as ''Andropadus alexandri'' or ''Andropadus curvirostris'')
*
Yellow-whiskered greenbul
The yellow-whiskered greenbul or yellow-whiskered bulbul (''Eurillas latirostris'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in western and central Africa.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, sub ...
(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 East Africa
Birds of Southern Africa
sombre greenbul
Taxa named by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot