The western greenbul (''Arizelocichla tephrolaema'') is a species 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 As ...

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 t ...

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 lightweigh ...

s. It is found in the

Cameroonian Highlands forests The Cameroonian Highlands forests, also known as the Cameroon Highlands forests, are a montane tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion located on the range of mountains that runs inland from the Gulf of Guinea and forms the border between Camero ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The western greenbul was originally described in the genus ''

Trichophorus ''Criniger'' is a genus of songbirds in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. The species of ''Criniger'' are found in western and central Africa. Taxonomy The genus ''Criniger'' was introduced in 1820 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck, ...

'' (a synonym for ''Criniger'') and then classified in '' Andropadus'' before being re-classified to the new genus ''

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'' ...

'' in 2010. Alternatively, some authorities classify the Western 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 ...

''. Some authorities also consider the olive-breasted and Uluguru greenbul to be subspecies of the western greenbul. Alternate names for the western greenbul include the grey-throated bulbul, grey-throated greenbul, olive-breasted mountain greenbul and western mountain greenbul. The alternate name mountain greenbul should not be confused with the species of the same name, '' Arizelocichla nigriceps''. The alternate name 'western mountain greenbul' is also used by the olive-breasted greenbul and the alternate name 'grey-throated bulbul' is also used by the

Palawan bulbul The Palawan bulbul or grey-throated bulbul (''Alophoixus frater'') is a species of songbird in the family Pycnonotidae. It is endemic to Palawan Island in the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests a ...

Subspecies

Two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are recognized: * Bamenda grey-throated greenbul (''A. t. bamendae'') - ( Bannerman, 1923): found in the

; * ''A. t. tephrolaema'' - ( GR Gray, 1862): found in the

Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests The Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in central Africa. It occupies the upper slopes of coastal Mount Cameroon in Cameroon, and the mountains of nearby Bioko island in Equatorial Guinea. Ge ...

Distribution and habitat

It is found on Bioko, in western Cameroon and adjacent Nigeria. 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 boreal

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

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

s, and subtropical or tropical dry

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

References

* BirdLife International 2004.
Andropadus tephrolaemus

2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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