- Bleda eximius
Identification
21.5-23 cm. A handsome bulbul with prominent rictal bristles and a strong bill.
- Olive-green side of face with darker stripe from base of bill down to side of throat
- Dull olive-yellow lores
- Blue-grey half-moon of bare skin above eye
- Small feathered yellowish postocular spot
- Uniform olive-green upperparts
- Olive-green tail with narrow yellow tips on outher three pairs or rectrices
- Bright yellow underparts except for olive wash on breast side and flanks
- Dark blue-grey bill
Sexes similar, juvenile undescribed.
Similar species
The yellow-tipped green tail distinguishes this species from Red-tailed Bristlebill. The green head and neck, the bare skin around the eye, the yellowish lores and the voice distinguises this species from Grey-headed Bristlebill.
Distribution
Endemic to Western Africa: found from Guinea to Sierra Leone and Ghana.
A restricted-range species from the Upper Guinea Forests. Rare in its range, locally common in Liberia. Not very vocal and possibly under-recorded.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
It was formerly considered conspecific with Lesser Bristlebill.
Habitat
Found in lowland evergreen forest, semi-deciduous forest and old secondary forest.
Occurs up to 1450 m in Liberia but usually only in the lowlands.
Behaviour
A very shy and elusive species. Usually singly or in pairs, often in mixed-species groups.
Diet
Feeds on arthropods like beetles, ants, spiders, caterpillars and millipedes. Takes also small frogs.
Forages on or near the ground.
Breeding
A fledgling was seen in October in Liberia, birds in breeding condition in June to August, October and December. No information about the nest.
Movements
A resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Green-tailed Bristlebill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 9 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Green-tailed_Bristlebill
