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.
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 The genus Bleda was introduced in 1857 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte with the red-tailed bristlebill as the type species. The genus was named after Bleda, elder brother of Attila and joint ruler of the Huns.
Species The genus contains the following five species:
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) Olive-breasted greenbul (as Xenocichla kikuyuensis) Mountain greenbul (as Xenocichla nigriceps) Black-browed greenbul (as Xenocichla fusciceps) Yellow-throated greenbul (as Xenocichla chlorigula) Stripe-cheeked greenbul (as Xenocichla milanjensis) Stripe-faced greenbul (as Xenocichla striifacies) Sjöstedt's greenbul (as Xenocichla clamans) Yellow-throated leaflove (as Xenocichla flavicollis) Uganda yellow-throated greenbul (as Xenocichla pallidigula) Gabon leaflove (as Xenocichla orientalis) Placid greenbul (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 (as Xenocichla debilis) Yellow-bearded greenbul (as Xenocichla olivacea)
References
Further reading 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.