Icterine bulbul

Phyllastrephus icterinus

Photo by Guillaume Passavy (Oiseaux)

Common name:
icterine bulbul (en); tuta-icterino (pt); bulbul ictérin (fr); bulbul icterino (es); zeisigbülbül (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pycnonotidae

Range:
This species is found in West Africa, from southern Guinea and Sierra Leone to Ghana, and from southern Nigeria, though Cameroon and Gabon, and into Congo and D.R. Congo.

Size:
These birds are 16 cm long and weigh 15-22 g.

Habitat:
The icterine bulbul is mostly found in lowland rainforests, but also uses swamp forests, mountain rainforests and dry savannas.

Diet:
These birds are strictly insectivorous, searching for insects among the foliage.

Breeding:
Icterine bulbuls can breed all year round. The cup shaped nest is made of twigs, dead leaves, grasses and fungi, and usually placed in an open canopy tree up to 6 m above the ground. the female lays 2-3 eggs which are incubated for 12-14 days. The chicks fledge 11-12 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as generally common to abundant. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. However, some forests within its range are threatened by clearance for shifting cultivation and degradation through the removal of understorey tree species to create cacao plantations.