Plain Greenbul Eurillas curvirostris Scientific name definitions

c. 17 cm; male 22–29 g, female 22–28 g. A medium-sized, almost featureless greenbul, difficult to identify by plumage characters alone. Nominate race has top of head dark olivaceous brown, side of face and ear-coverts olivaceous grey-brown, lores slightly darker, dirty white or grey broken eyering variable in width and degree of contrast; upperparts dark olivaceous brown, as crown, uppertail-coverts and tail reddish-brown; flight-feathers dark brown, edged olive-green; throat light olive-grey, contrasting somewhat with olive-brown breast ; flanks olive-brown, belly yellow-olive, becoming pale yellow in centre of lower belly, undertail-coverts pale brownish-yellow; iris red-brown or chestnut-brown; bill black, paler cutting edges; legs olive, olive-green, dark green or dark greenish-grey. Distinguished from very similar E. gracilis and E. ansorgei by larger size, less conspicuous eyering, no obvious contrast between head and mantle, also by voice and habits; from E. virens by eyering, leg colour and voice. Sexes alike, female on average smaller than male. Juvenile is as adult, but belly more yellow, gape also yellow. Race leonina is slightly darker above than nominate, less reddish on tail, greyer with less yellow below, no visible contrast between throat and breast.

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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.

Primary and secondary evergreen and semi-deciduous forest, gallery forest, old regrowth, clearings and edge habitats. Mainly lowlands, locally at middle altitude, to 1800 m in DRCongo, 1600 m in Sudan and 2300 m in E Africa.

Little information; thought to be sedentary in Gabon and Congo.

Fruits, seeds; also insects, and gastropods. Fruits taken include particularly Rauwolfia, also Allophylus, Agelaea, Heisteria, Harungana, Musanga, Macaranga, Trema, Urera. Insects especially caterpillars, also orthopterans, mantids, moths (Lepidoptera). Usually seen singly, in pairs or in small groups; frequently joins other bulbuls at fruiting trees or in mixed-species flocks. Unobtrusive and fairly shy, preferring to remain concealed in foliage; also perches silently for lengthy periods on low bare branches. Territorial, forages mainly in lower-middle levels, at tops of understorey shrubs and in lianes; mainly at 2–15 m (sometimes higher) in Gabon, 10–30 m in Liberia, 3–10 m in Kenya. Gleans insects from foliage, sometimes while hovering.

Song of nominate race a 3-note “wheet-tiuwhee-tuu” or “wheet-tu-wheeu”; also has harsh trill  , “trriiiiii”. Race leonina  has unobtrusive but distinctive “tiuwhee-tiu triiiii” or “su-hi-oo triiii”, with stress on final, harsh upslurred trill, which also often given separately. Pitch lower than that of E. gracilis and E. ansorgei. Also a hard “wrrrrit” and a longer “wrrrrrititit”.

Nesting recorded in Feb in Ghana and in Jan, Aug and Oct in Sudan; birds in breeding condition in May–Oct and independent young in Dec–Mar and Jun in Liberia; juveniles in Apr in Ivory Coast, and in Aug–Oct and Dec–Jan in Cameroon; increased vocal activity in Sept–Feb and females soliciting copulation Dec–Jan (short dry season) in Gabon; breeding condition in Sept–May in DRCongo, Feb–Mar (and immature in Feb) in Angola, and Jan–Feb, Apr and Jul in E Africa. Territorial. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Status somewhat uncertain; considered not uncommon to common. Density in Gabon estimated tentatively at 10–12 pairs/km². Occurs in numerous national parks, including those of Sapo, in Liberia, Taï Forest, in Ivory Coast, Kakum, in Ghana, Korup, in Cameroon, Lopé, in Gabon, Nouabalé-Ndoki, in PRCongo, Salonga, in DRCongo, and Bwindi-Impenetrable Forest, in Uganda.