Cabanis's Greenbul Phyllastrephus cabanisi Scientific name definitions

16·5–19 cm; male 33–42 g, female 27–39 g (cabanisi), male 22–31 g, female 19–26 g (sucosus), male 21–32 g, female 19–31 g (placidus). A large long-tailed, slender-billed greenbul. Nominate race has lores and ear-coverts greyish olive-green, ear-coverts with faint paler streaking, narrow pale broken eyering, indistinct darker line in front of and behind eye; top of head and upperparts olive-green, uppertail-coverts and tail bright rufous, wings olive-green; throat and underparts yellowish, side of neck, breast and flanks washed greenish-olive, undertail-coverts pale brown; iris pale greyish-tan or pale grey; bill dusky horn, paler cutting edges; legs bright blue-grey. Distinguished from P. fischeri by yellower throat, from P. cerviniventris by bare-part colours, from both also by voice. Sexes alike, female on average smaller than male. Juvenile is bright olive above, pale yellow below, more olive on flanks and breast, bill black with yellow tip, eye pale olive-brown, feet greenish-grey. Race sucosus is smaller than nominate, brighter yellow below; placidus is also smaller, and browner overall, olive-brown above, throat creamy white, breast and flanks greyish-olive, bill horn-brown to horn-grey or yellowish-grey, paler base of lower mandible, eye brown, grey or dull yellowish-grey, legs slate-coloured.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Lowland, mid-altitude and montane primary and secondary forest of various types, gallery forest, riparian thicket, and dense woodland. Race placidus in Eastern Arc mountains of Tanzania commonest at c. 1500 m, ranges from 600 m in Usambaras (Tanzania) to 2000 m in Sudan, 2700 m in E Africa; nominate to 1700 m in Zambia; sucosus to 2400 m in Rwanda (Nyungwe).

Resident. One territory in Malawi was occupied by same group of birds for at least seven years, but some local altitudinal movement also recorded in that country.

Arthropods, including grasshoppers (Orthoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), mantids, caterpillars, ants (Hymenoptera), spiders (Araneae); also molluscs, some fruit. Found in pairs or in small groups of up to six individuals; sometimes joins mixed flocks, and recently found in parts of Udzungwa Mts (Tanzania) in mixed-species parties with P. fischeri, but seen more often in monospecific groups. Shy but inquisitive. Usually forages low down in dense undergrowth, on vertical to horizontal perches and on the ground, only occasionally moving higher than c. 2–4 m; rarely above 2 m where P. flavostriatus present, but in high forest where latter is absent regularly forages to 6–7 m above ground, sometimes to 16 m. Sometimes attends Dorylus ant swarms, but does not follow them into open understorey; remains within dense undergrowth. Gleans items from the ground among leaf litter, fallen wood, moss, also from leaves and from tree trunks, where it clings to bark while fluttering wings; also makes occasional short sallies. Flicks tail and wings, one wing at a time.

Race placidus contact call a harsh, low grating “churr” or “prrp-prrp”; song often in duet, one individual giving “churr”, the other a whistled series of continuous double notes, “chirry, chorry, chirry, chorry” or “chrrrk, chrrrk, chrrrk-chrrrk, chwert-chwert”, single bird may also sing unaccompanied; male call in pre-copulatory display a low “pruit-pruit-pri-pri, pri-pri-cho” or “prrp-prrp-perrup-perrup”; alarm a high-pitched “squii, squii” or “ ziew-ziew-ziew”. Voice of nominate very similar.

Nesting recorded in Dec–Jan, Mar–May and Jul (thought to occur all year) in DRCongo, Dec–Mar in Sudan, Sept–Jan in Rwanda, and Dec–Aug (mainly in rains) in E Kenya and NE Tanzania; birds in breeding condition in Jun and Aug–Sept in Angola and Oct–Dec in Uganda; Oct–Feb (and juveniles also Sept) in Malawi, and Mar, Jul and Aug–Oct (breeding condition also Oct–Nov) in Zambia; double-brooded. Monogamous. Male in pre-copulatory display intermittently flicks wings and fans tail, erects crown feathers and fluffs throat and rump feathers, while hopping in circle through undergrowth while making low bubbling call. Nest, built by both sexes in 7–10 days, a shallow, elliptical cup of dead leaves, bark fibres, moss, tendrils, etc., bound together with cobwebs, outer layer with dead leaves and bark as camouflage, the whole appearing as bunch of trapped leaf debris, one measured 8·9 × 6·4 cm externally, 5·7 × 4·4 cm internally, outside depth 5·1 cm, inside depth 1·9 cm; placed 1·5–5 m above ground in vertical or lateral fork in dense undergrowth or low bush. Clutch 2 eggs, sometimes 3; incubation by both sexes, mainly female, period 11–12 days, longer in cold weather; nestling period 16–18 days; when surprised at nest, sitting bird may drop to ground and feign death, with wing half open, head limp, if approached will repeatedly stagger a few metres, trailing a wing and with spread tail, before collapsing.

Not globally threatened. Common and widespread. In Tanzania, density of 120 individuals/100 ha recorded Udzungwa Mts, and another study in Eastern Arc range reported a maximum density c. 25 individuals/km². Well represented in protected areas.