Black-browed Mountain Greenbul
Arizelocichla fusciceps
Medium-sized greenbul with a narrow, broken pale eye-ring. The back is olive-green and the head and underparts gray, with a faint black stripe above the eye. Found in and around montane forest. The song is a short series of barking and mewing notes. Similar to Stripe-cheeked Greenbul, but separated by lack of cheek striping. Also similar to Shelley’s Greenbul, but identified by gray rather than olive-green head.
Identification
The black-browed mountain greenbul (Arizelocichla fusciceps), formerly the black-browed greenbul, is a species of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in south-eastern Africa from south-western Tanzania to north-eastern Zambia, Malawi and west-central Mozambique.
Taxonomy
The black-browed greenbul was originally described in the genus Xenocichla (a synonym for Bleda) and then classified in Andropadus. It was re-classified to the new genus Arizelocichla in 2010. Some authorities have considered the Uluguru greenbul to be a subspecies of the black-browed greenbul. Alternate names for the black-browed greenbul include the black-browed mountain greenbul, Morogoro yellow-necked greenbul, northern mountain greenbul and southern mountain greenbul.
- Scientific name
- Arizelocichla fusciceps
- Authority
- (Shelley, 1893)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pycnonotidae
- Genus
- Arizelocichla
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
Migration pattern: Vertical migration.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Timor Green-Pigeon
Treron psittaceus
Fruit-loving, forest-dwelling pigeon with the coloration of a green mango. Gathers in flocks in fruiting trees and races by overhead in fast, direct flight. Note darker-centered feathers under the tail and bright yellowish linings on the wing feathers. Black-and-white outer tail edges are often exposed in flight. The only green-pigeon on Timor; all-green plumage readily separates this species from imperial-pigeons and fruit-doves. Very rare or extirpated in Indonesian West Timor, and declining in East Timor due to hunting and habitat loss. Gives oddly creaky rising coo: “aw-woo-wUUOO.”
Sahel Paradise-Whydah
Vidua orientalis
A nest parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of Green-winged Pytilias. As with other whydahs, breeding males are spectacular and bizarre, whereas non-breeding males and females are drab and inconspicuous. Breeding males are mostly black, with a rufous-and-buff collar and a long tail with an odd widened area at its base. Non-breeding males and females have a brownish back, pale underparts, and a dark bill. Generally scarce and local in dry thorn savanna. Breeding male similar to other paradise-whydahs, but has a shorter tail. Non-breeding male and female can be cautiously identified by their combination of a dark bill, dull (not whitish or red) legs, and simple facial pattern. Not very vocal, but does imitate Green-winged Pytilia vocalizations.
Bank Cormorant
Phalacrocorax neglectus
A medium-to-large-sized, stocky, marine cormorant that is a specialist in kelp forests of the Benguela Current, where it is scarce resident. Similar to Cape Cormorant but slightly larger and thicker-necked. Adults have a black (not orange) throat patch and honey-brown (not blue) eyes, giving them a plain-looking face. If seen well, the head is flattish with an indistinct crest that more often manifests as a bulbous forehead. In flight, it is difficult to tell from the abundant Cape Cormorant unless the characteristic white back--most prevalent in the breeding season (but absent in some individuals)--is seen. Immatures are duller but retain the adult’s characteristic shape. Best seen at roosts.
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