The bristlebills are a genus ''Bleda'' of passerine 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. 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 swarms to catch prey items fleeing from the ants and they frequently join mixed-species feeding flocks. 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. 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 The red-tailed bristlebill (''Bleda syndactylus'') or common bristlebill, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is widely present throughout the African tropical rainforest. Taxonomy and systematics The red-tailed bri ...

as the type species. 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.

Species

The genus contains five species: *

Red-tailed bristlebill The red-tailed bristlebill (''Bleda syndactylus'') or common bristlebill, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is widely present throughout the African tropical rainforest. Taxonomy and systematics The red-tailed bri ...

(''Bleda syndactylus'') *

Green-tailed bristlebill The green-tailed bristlebill (''Bleda eximius'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in West Africa from Sierra Leone to Ghana. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habita ...

(''Bleda eximius'') *

Grey-headed bristlebill The grey-headed bristlebill (''Bleda canicapillus'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in West Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland fore ...

(''Bleda canicapillus'') *

Yellow-lored bristlebill The yellow-lored bristlebill or lesser bristlebill (''Bleda notatus'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in central Africa. Taxonomy and systematics The yellow-lored bristlebill was originally described in ...

(''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 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 ''Xenocichla kakamegae'') *

Olive-breasted greenbul The olive-breasted greenbul (''Arizelocichla kikuyuensis'') is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, south-western and south-eastern Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and central Kenya. Ta ...

(as ''Xenocichla kikuyuensis'') *

Mountain greenbul The mountain greenbul (''Arizelocichla nigriceps''), or eastern mountain greenbul, is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in eastern Africa. Taxonomy and systematics The mountain greenbul was originally described in th ...

(as ''Xenocichla nigriceps'') *

Black-browed greenbul The black-browed greenbul (''Arizelocichla fusciceps'') 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, Malawi and west-central Mozambique. Taxonomy ...

(as ''Xenocichla fusciceps'') * Yellow-throated greenbul (as ''Xenocichla 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 ''Xenocichla milanjensis'') *

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 ''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 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 cen ...

(as ''Xenocichla pallidigula'') *

Gabon leaflove The red-tailed leaflove (''Phyllastrephus scandens'') is a species of leaflove in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in western and central Africa. Taxonomy and systematics Although originally described in the genus ''Phyllastrephus'', ...

(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 Xavier's greenbul (''Phyllastrephus xavieri'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in central Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland f ...

(as ''Xenocichla Xavieri'') *

White-throated greenbul The white-throated greenbul (''Phyllastrephus albigularis''), or white-throated bulbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in many parts of central and western Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical o ...

(as ''Xenocichla albigularis'') * Yellow-streaked greenbul (tenuirostris) (as ''Xenocichla tenuirostris'') *

Sharpe's greenbul Sharpe's greenbul (''Phyllastrephus alfredi'') or the Malawi greenbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in Africa in south-western Tanzania, north-eastern Zambia and northern Malawi. Taxonomy and systemat ...

(as ''Bleda alfredi'') *

Grey-headed greenbul The grey-headed greenbul (''Phyllastrephus poliocephalus''), or grey-headed yellow-bellied greenbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in the Cameroonian Highlands forests. Its natural habitats are subtr ...

(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 tropical ...

(as ''Xenocichla debilis'') *

Yellow-bearded greenbul The yellow-bearded greenbul (''Criniger olivaceus'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in western Africa. Taxonomy and systematics Alternatively, the yellow-bearded greenbul has been classified in the genus ...

(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