Sombre Greenbul ( Andropadus importunus, family: Pycnonotidae)

Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Sombre Bulbul

sombre greenbul Kruger National Park birds The Sombre Greenbul (Latin name Andropadus importunus) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 572 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 770 also a picture of the Sombre Greenbul on page 817. The Sombre Greenbul belongs to the family of birds classified as Pycnonotidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Sombre Greenbul is also known by these other names: Zanzibar Sombre Bulbul, Sombre Bulbul.

In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Sombre Greenbul was called the Sombre Bulbul

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Sombre Greenbul is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.

In terms of distribution of the Sombre Greenbul in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Sombre Greenbul : see above distribution map.

Identification assistance for this avian species ...

The Sombre Greenbul is a smallish bird but somewhat larger than a house sparrow. The height of the Sombre Greenbul is about 23 cms and its weight is about 34 gms

The male and female Sombre Greenbul have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is green.
  • Eye is white, yellow.
  • Bill is black.
  • Throat is grey.
  • Back is olive, green.
  • Legs are brown.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Sombre Greenbul feeds on the ground and in foliage mainly

Invertebrates

Fruits

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Sombre Greenbul is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Andropadus importunus will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Sombre Greenbul is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are cream in colour and number between 1 to 3

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Sombre Greenbul are: woodlands . The Sombre Greenbul is also at home in wetland and bushveld areas.

You will not see Sombre Greenbul in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Inkwili

Zulu ... iWili

Afrikaans ...Gewone Willie

German ... Kap-Grnblbl

Portuguese ... Tuta-sombria

French ... Bulbul importun

Dutch ... Vale Buulbuul

First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list

For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 572

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za