Alternative name: Terrestrial Bulbul
- Phyllastrephus terrestris
Identification
Upper parts dark brown with ginger-brown lower back and rump. Throat white, breast and belly pale creamy yellow, and flanks brownish yellow. Eyes red to red-brown with a narrow white eye-ring.
Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa: Angola, Namibia, Zambia, DRC, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa.
Taxonomy
Phyllastrephus terrestris has three subspecies:1
- P.t. terrestris
- Southern and south-eastern South Africa through western Swazland and north-eastern South Africa to western Botswana
- P.t. intermedius
- North-eastern KwaZulu-Natal, eastern Swaziland, southern Mozambique, Zimbabwe, northern Botswana, Caprivi (Namibia), southern Angola, Zambia, Malawi and southern DRC
- P.t. suahelicus
- Northern Mozambique, eastern Tanzania, eastern Kenya and southern Somalia.
Habitat
Understory of forests, thickets and dense scrub.
Behaviour
Forages in small groups, mainly for invertebrates, but also small reptiles, fruit, seeds and nectar. Often located by noisy flicking of leaf litter or harsh, churring "wakkity-wakkity-wakkity" alarm calls.
References
- Clements JF. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2008. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
- Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533
- Sinclair I & Ryan P. 2003. Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0620207299
