Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Family Pycnonotidae Scientific name Eurillas virens Higher classification Eurillas Order Passerine | |
Similar Slender‑billed greenbul, Phyllastrephus, Arizelocichla, Yellow‑whiskered greenbul, Bristlebill | ||
Little greenbul
The little greenbul (Eurillas virens) is a species of songbird in the family Pycnonotidae.
Contents
Subspecies
"Hall's greenbul", Eurillas (virens) hallae, may be a melanistic form of this species. It is known only from a single specimen taken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is named after the British ornithologist Mrs. Beryl Patricia Hall.
Distribution
It is found in Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.
Habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and moist savanna.
Description
Eurillas virens is a small bird reaching a total length of about 187 mm, with wings of about 80 mm and tail of about 77 mm. The upper tail and wings are brown, while breast and flanks are pale greyish-greenish (hence the Latin name virens of this species, meaning «green»). The bill is brown, the iris is brown and the feet are light yellow-brown.
The little greenbul was the subject of a study, conducted by Thomas B. Smith, Robert K. Wayne, Derek J. Girman, and Michael W. Bruford (published in Science in June 1997) regarding the impact of ecotones on biodiversity.