The bristlebills are a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Bleda'' 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 t ...

birds in 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 As ...

family

Pycnonotidae 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 Asi ...

. They are found in the forest understorey of western and central Africa. They forage for insects at or near ground-level, often near water. They will follow

driver ant ''Dorylus'', also known as driver ants, safari ants, or siafu, is a large genus of army ants found primarily in central and east Africa, although the range also extends to southern Africa and tropical Asia. The term siafu is a loanword from Swah ...

swarms to catch prey items fleeing from the ants and they frequently join

mixed-species feeding flock A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while foraging. These ar ...

s. They are 18–23 cm long with fairly long, stout

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

s. The upperparts are mainly green-brown while the underparts are yellow. The birds have whistling

songs A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

. The nest is made of leaves or sticks and built in a shrub or small tree. Two eggs are laid.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Bleda'' was introduced in 1857 by the French naturalist

Charles Lucien Bonaparte Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (24 May 1803 – 29 July 1857), was a French naturalist and ornithologist. Lucien and his wife had twelve children, including Cardinal Lucien Bonaparte. Life and career ...

with the red-tailed bristlebill as the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

. The genus was named after

Bleda Bleda () was a Hunnic ruler, the brother of Attila the Hun. As nephews to Rugila, Attila and his elder brother Bleda succeeded him to the throne. Bleda's reign lasted for eleven years until his death. While it has been speculated by Jordanes th ...

, elder brother of

Attila Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European traditio ...

and joint ruler of the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

Species

The genus contains five species: * Red-tailed bristlebill (''Bleda syndactylus'') * Green-tailed bristlebill (''Bleda eximius'') * Grey-headed bristlebill (''Bleda canicapillus'') * Yellow-lored bristlebill (''Bleda notatus'') * Yellow-eyed bristlebill (''Bleda ugandae'')

Former species

Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus ''Bleda'': * Kakamega greenbul (as ''Xenocichla kakamegae'') * Olive-breasted greenbul (as ''Xenocichla kikuyuensis'') * Mountain greenbul (as ''Xenocichla nigriceps'') * Black-browed greenbul (as ''Xenocichla fusciceps'') *

Yellow-throated greenbul The yellow-throated greenbul (''Arizelocichla chlorigula'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is an African species found in east-central and southern Tanzania. Taxonomy and systematics The yellow-throated greenbul was ori ...

(as ''Xenocichla chlorigula'') * Stripe-cheeked greenbul (as ''Xenocichla milanjensis'') * Stripe-faced greenbul (as ''Xenocichla striifacies'') *

Sjöstedt's greenbul Sjöstedt's greenbul (''Baeopogon clamans'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in western and central Africa. Taxonomy and systematics Sjöstedt's greenbul was originally described in the genus ''Xenocichl ...

(as ''Xenocichla clamans'') *

Yellow-throated leaflove The yellow-throated leaflove (''Atimastillas flavicollis'') is a species of leaflove in the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is the only species of the monotypic genus ''Atimastillas''. The yellow-throated leaflove is found in western and ce ...

(as ''Xenocichla flavicollis'') * Uganda yellow-throated greenbul (as ''Xenocichla pallidigula'') * Gabon leaflove (as ''Xenocichla orientalis'') *

Placid greenbul The placid greenbul (''Phyllastrephus placidus'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in eastern Africa from eastern Kenya through Tanzania to north-eastern Zambia, Malawi and north-western Mozambique. In the ...

(as ''Xenocichla placida'') * Xavier's greenbul (as ''Xenocichla Xavieri'') * White-throated greenbul (as ''Xenocichla albigularis'') * Yellow-streaked greenbul (tenuirostris) (as ''Xenocichla tenuirostris'') * Sharpe's greenbul (as ''Bleda alfredi'') * Grey-headed greenbul (as ''Xenocichla poliocephala'') *

Lowland tiny greenbul The lowland tiny greenbul (''Phyllastrephus debilis''), is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in eastern Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropica ...

(as ''Xenocichla debilis'') * Yellow-bearded greenbul (as ''Xenocichla olivacea'')

References

*African Bird club (2006
ABC African Checklist: Passerines
Accessed 31/07/07. *Serle, W.; Morel G.J. & Hartwig, W. (1977) ''Collins Field Guide: Birds of West Africa'', HarperCollins. *Sinclair, Ian & Ryan, Peter (2003) ''Birds of Africa south of the Sahara'', Struik, Cape Town. ;Notes

External links

Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte {{Pycnonotidae-stub