The icterine greenbul (''Phyllastrephus icterinus'') is a species of
songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5000 ...
in the
bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in western and central Africa.
Taxonomy and systematics
The icterine greenbul was originally described in the genus ''
Trichophorus'' (a synonym for ''Criniger''). The term ''
icterine'' refers to its yellowish colouration. Formerly, some authorities have considered
Sassi's greenbul to be a
subspecies of the icterine greenbul. Alternate names for the icterine greenbul include the lesser icterine bulbul and lesser icterine greenbul.
Liberian greenbul
Until 2018, a rare colour morph of the icterine greenbul from the Cavalla forest in south-eastern Liberia was believed to be a separate species. The Liberian greenbul (''Phyllastrephus leucolepis'') was known from only a few sightings between 1981 and 1984, and a specimen collected in 1984.
This specimen is now considered to have been a plumage aberration. A 2017 DNA analysis revealed that the bird(s) were common icterine greenbuls, albeit with unusual plumage colouring, which may have been caused by a nutritional deficiency.
Alternative names for the Liberian greenbul included the spot-winged bulbul, spot-winged greenbul and white-winged greenbul.
Distribution and habitat
The icterine greenbul is found in Africa from Guinea to Ghana; southern Nigeria to western and southern Uganda, eastern and central Democratic Republic of the Congo and extreme north-western Angola.
Its natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s are subtropical or tropical dry
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and moist
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Image at ADW
Phyllastrephus
Greenbuls
Birds of Central Africa
Birds of West Africa
Birds described in 1850
Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Pycnonotidae-stub