Little Greenbul Eurillas virens Scientific name definitions

c. 16·5 cm; male 21–32 g, female 22–30 g. A small, uniformly plumaged greenbul , lacking any contrasts in plumage. Nominate race has head and upperparts, including wings, dark olive-green, uppertail-coverts and tail brown with brownish wash; eyering very indistinct or absent; throat pale olive-green, breast and flanks dark olive, centre of belly pale yellow, undertail-coverts pale brown; iris dark brown or grey-brown; bill black or dusky, yellow gape (sometimes lacking); legs yellowish-brown or yellowish-orange. Distinguished from E. curvirostris by lack of contrasting eyering, also by voice. Sexes alike, female on average smaller than male. Juvenile differs from adult in having wings browner, upperwing-coverts and secondaries with rusty wash, yellow of belly paler and less extensive, lower mandible, tip of upper mandible and gape yellow. Race <em>erythroptera</em> is greyer and darker above than nominate, with browner flight-feathers, less yellow on belly; amadoni is greener above and somewhat brighter yellow below than nominate; zombensis is more grey-green above and paler overall, including olive of underparts and yellow of belly; <em>zanzibarica</em> is less green and darker above than previous, also greyer and less yellow below.

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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.

Forest of all types, including primary and secondary evergreen and semi-deciduous forest, gallery forest, forest-savanna mosaic, swamp-forest, mangroves and riparian thicket, even gardens. Shows marked preference for secondary and edge habitats; in many places does not penetrate far inside high forest, and where it does may be in areas where E. latirostris less common (e.g. parts of Gabon). Sea-level to 1500 m in Liberia, to 2200 m in Cameroon, 1830 m in DRCongo, 1850 m in E Africa and 2050 m in Zambia.

Resident; some local wandering, e.g. of 114 birds ringed in Gabon only one retrapped (twice, after 8 and 23 months). Some evidence of altitudinal migration in Cameroon; during wet season on Mt Kupé, absent above 1400 m and scarce above 1100 m.

Fruit, including berries, also many arthropods; may be largely frugivorous only seasonally. Fruits taken include those of Allophylus, Asparagus, Cleistochlamys, Clidemia, Ficus, Lantana, Macaranga, Maesopsis, Musanga, Ochthocosmus, Polysphaeria, Rhus, Solanum, Sorindea, Tapinanthus, Trema, Xylotheca. Arthropods taken include orthopterans, mantids, neuropterans, dipterans, beetles (Coleoptera), bugs (Hemiptera), ants (Hymenoptera), alate termites (Isoptera), spiders (Araneae). Found singly or in pairs; not gregarious, although several may gather at a fruiting tree, including with other bulbul species. Rarely joins mixed-species parties. Shy and skulking; forages mainly within thick cover, usually below 10 m, and down to ground level, particularly when attending Dorylus ant swarms. Will catch insects in flight over short distances, sometimes hovering briefly; also gleans from bark and leaves.

Song , from well-concealed perch 2–3 m above ground, given relentlessly all day and for most of year, starts with a few subdued chuckling notes, succeeded by rapidly ascending series, forming pleasant bubbling warble, increasing in volume, ending on high, clear, rising note, “kwirk kwirk kwirk…chwukawuk-cherchickalee-chuck-chuk-chuk-tuwerrtlii-tuk-tuk-twee”. Call a dry “kuk-kuk-kuk”.

Nesting recorded in Jun–Jul in Senegambia, Sept–Oct and Dec in Liberia, Feb and Apr–May in Ghana, Jan–Mar in Cameroon, Oct–Mar (especially Jan–Feb short dry season) and occasionally Jul–Aug (when short dry season late) in Gabon, Nov–Dec in PRCongo; in DRCongo, all year near equator and all months except Jun–Aug (short dry season) at Itombwe; Aug–Sept in Sudan, Jan–May and Sept–Oct in Uganda and W Kenya, Oct–Nov in Malawi, and May and Jul–Nov in Zambia; birds in breeding condition May–Jun and Sept in Nigeria, Mar–Sept (also juveniles Feb–Jul, breeding throughout year suspected) in Cameroon, Jan and Aug (juveniles in May) in Angola and Nov–May in coastal Tanzania. Territorial. Groups of 6–10 singing males recorded as collecting seasonally in small areas, may be related to breeding behaviour, but these areas (in contrast to leks of E. latirostris) differ from year to year; singing male beats wings, lowers tail and head, and puffs out feathers of throat and body; in probable pre-copulatory behaviour, presumed male sang from perch while presumed female flew silently between adjacent branches, and rapidly fluttered her wings while perched. Nest a shallow cup of dead leaves, twigs and bark fragments, sometimes bound with cobwebs and strips of bark, lined with plant fibres, fine rootlets and grasses and hyphae of Marasmius fungus, external diameter 10–11·5 cm, internal 6·5 cm, external depth 7 cm and cup depth 2–3·5 cm; placed low down, from just above ground to 1·5 m, in small shrub or fern tangle or under large leaves, suspended from twigs. Clutch 2 eggs, sometimes 3; incubation by female only, period at least 13 days; fledging period 11–12 days. In Gabon, 60% of nests preyed on.

Not globally threatened. Extremely common across almost all of its extensive range. Total population in Liberia thought to be at least 4,000,000 pairs. Densities vary greatly; estimated 1 bird/2·5 ha in Nigeria, 2–6 pairs/10 ha locally in Malawi; in Tanzania, 444 individuals/100 ha in Udzungwa Mts, and in another study in Eastern Arc mountains reported maximum density c. 150 birds/km². Occurs in numerous national parks and other protected areas throughout its range, from Sapo National Park, in Liberia, E to Bwindi-Impenetrable Forest National Park, in Uganda, and S to Lopé National Park, in Gabon, and Kahuzi-Biéga National Park, in DRCongo. Given this species’ preference for secondary habitats, its future seems assured.