Bristlebill
Genus of birds From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The bristlebills are a genus Bleda of passerine birds in the bulbul 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.
Bristlebills | |
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Grey-headed bristlebill (Bleda canicapillus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Pycnonotidae |
Genus: | Bleda Bonaparte, 1857 |
Type species | |
Dasycephala syndactyla (Red-tailed bristlebill) Swainson, 1837 | |
Species | |
See text | |
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Synonyms | |
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They are 18–23 cm long with fairly long, stout bills. 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
Summarize
Perspective
The genus Bleda was introduced in 1857 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte with the red-tailed bristlebill as the type species.[1] The genus was named after Bleda, elder brother of Attila and joint ruler of the Huns.[2]
Species
The genus contains five species:[3]
Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Red-tailed bristlebill | Bleda syndactylus | African tropical rainforest |
![]() | Green-tailed bristlebill | Bleda eximius | Upper Guinean forests |
![]() | Grey-headed bristlebill | Bleda canicapillus | Guinean Forests of West Africa |
- | Yellow-lored bristlebill | Bleda notatus | Western Congolian rainforests |
- | Yellow-eyed bristlebill | Bleda ugandae | Congo Basin and Uganda |
Former species
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Bleda:
- Kakamega greenbul (as Xenocichla kakamegae)[4]
- Olive-breasted greenbul (as Xenocichla kikuyuensis)[5]
- Mountain greenbul (as Xenocichla nigriceps)[6]
- Black-browed greenbul (as Xenocichla fusciceps)[7]
- Yellow-throated greenbul (as Xenocichla chlorigula)[8]
- Stripe-cheeked greenbul (as Xenocichla milanjensis)[9]
- Stripe-faced greenbul (as Xenocichla striifacies)[10]
- Sjöstedt's greenbul (as Xenocichla clamans)[11]
- Yellow-throated leaflove (as Xenocichla flavicollis)[12]
- Uganda yellow-throated greenbul (as Xenocichla pallidigula)[13]
- Gabon leaflove (as Xenocichla orientalis)[14]
- Placid greenbul (as Xenocichla placida)[15]
- Xavier's greenbul (as Xenocichla Xavieri)[16]
- White-throated greenbul (as Xenocichla albigularis)[17]
- Yellow-streaked greenbul (tenuirostris) (as Xenocichla tenuirostris)[18]
- Sharpe's greenbul (as Bleda alfredi)[19]
- Grey-headed greenbul (as Xenocichla poliocephala)[20]
- Lowland tiny greenbul (as Xenocichla debilis)[21]
- Yellow-bearded greenbul (as Xenocichla olivacea)[22]
References
Further reading
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