Bristlebills | |
---|---|
Grey-headed bristlebill (Bleda canicapillus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Infraorder: | Passerides |
Family: | Pycnonotidae |
Genus: |
Bleda Bonaparte, 1857 |
Type species | |
Dasycephala syndactyla ( Red-tailed bristlebill)
Swainson, 1837
| |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
|
The bristlebills are a genus Bleda of passerine birds in the bulbul family Pycnonotidae. They are found in the forest understorey of western and central Africa. They forage for insects at or near ground-level, often near water. They will follow driver ant swarms to catch prey items fleeing from the ants and they frequently join mixed-species feeding flocks.
They are 18–23 cm long with fairly long, stout bills. The upperparts are mainly green-brown while the underparts are yellow. The birds have whistling songs.
The nest is made of leaves or sticks and built in a shrub or small tree. Two eggs are laid.
The genus Bleda was introduced in 1857 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte with the red-tailed bristlebill as the type species. [1] The genus was named after Bleda, elder brother of Attila and joint ruler of the Huns. [2]
The genus contains five species: [3]
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Bleda:
Bristlebills | |
---|---|
Grey-headed bristlebill (Bleda canicapillus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Infraorder: | Passerides |
Family: | Pycnonotidae |
Genus: |
Bleda Bonaparte, 1857 |
Type species | |
Dasycephala syndactyla ( Red-tailed bristlebill)
Swainson, 1837
| |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
|
The bristlebills are a genus Bleda of passerine birds in the bulbul family Pycnonotidae. They are found in the forest understorey of western and central Africa. They forage for insects at or near ground-level, often near water. They will follow driver ant swarms to catch prey items fleeing from the ants and they frequently join mixed-species feeding flocks.
They are 18–23 cm long with fairly long, stout bills. The upperparts are mainly green-brown while the underparts are yellow. The birds have whistling songs.
The nest is made of leaves or sticks and built in a shrub or small tree. Two eggs are laid.
The genus Bleda was introduced in 1857 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte with the red-tailed bristlebill as the type species. [1] The genus was named after Bleda, elder brother of Attila and joint ruler of the Huns. [2]
The genus contains five species: [3]
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Bleda: