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Phyllastrephus
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Northern Brownbul Phyllastrephus strepitans Scientific name definitions

Lincoln Fishpool and Joseph A. Tobias
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2005

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

15–18 cm; male 19–29 g, female 17–24 g. A medium-sized, predominantly brown pycnonotid, undistinguished in appearance, tail rather more graduated than that of most congeners. Lores and cheeks are pale grey-brown, ear-coverts pale brown with ill-defined narrow paler streaking; obscure darker line immediately in front of and behind eye, contrasting narrow white broken eyering; top of head and upperparts warm reddish-brown, rump and uppertail-coverts bright rufous, tail reddish brown; wings rufous-brown; throat white or pale buff, breast and flanks grey-brown, variably washed buff, lower breast and belly white, lower flanks, undertail-coverts and thighs buff; iris brown, red-brown or pale stone; bill black, paler lower mandible, cutting edges and tip; legs bluish-black or bluish-grey. Differs from P. terrestris in smaller size, brighter and more reddish-brown upperparts lacking olive tones, duller throat, darker legs; from P. cerviniventris also in warmer reddish upperparts, paler underparts, dark bill, legs and eye; from P. cabanisi in concolorous tail and back, dark eyes; from P. fischeri in dark eyes. Sexes alike, female on average smaller than male. Juvenile has top of head and back duller, eye dull brown.

Systematics History

Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

SE South Sudan, C, S & SE Ethiopia, S Somalia, N & NE Uganda, Kenya and NE Tanzania; isolated population in SW Sudan (Jebel Marra).

Habitat

Forest edge, open woodland, wooded grassland, evergreen and deciduous thicket, riverine bush and scrub; from sea-level to 1600 m, mainly below 1000 m.

Movement

No information.

Diet and Foraging

Insects and fruit, including Lantana and Rhus. Occurs in pairs or small groups; members of group cross open spaces one after the other. Has been recorded in mixed flocks with P. cerviniventris. Shy, forages low down in undergrowth; mean height of 1·2 m recorded in study in Kenya. Gleans from leaves, plant stems, the ground; also makes aerial sallies. Flicks wings tail constantly, both when foraging and when perched.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song a harsh, rapid chatter, penetrating and insistent, “skrrrk-skrrrk-kk-kk-kk-kk-kk…” or “chichichichichichi-chk, chik-chik-chik…”, often by pair in duet or by several together, often preceded and concluded by some slower, softer notes; reminiscent of Turdoides babbler, higher-pitched and faster than that of P. terrestris, often extended, interrupted with brief pauses every 10 seconds or so. Quieter contact calls when foraging.

Breeding

Nesting recorded in Jan–Feb in Sudan, May in Ethiopia, Jan and Jun in Kenya; birds in breeding condition in May in Uganda and in Aug and Oct–Mar in coastal Tanzania. One nest reported as in “an acacia”. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Common to locally abundant. Across much of its range inhabits dry scrub, a habitat under little threat. Well represented in protected areas, including Kidepo Valley National Park, in Uganda, and Meru and Tsavo National Parks, in Kenya.
Distribution of the Northern Brownbul - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Northern Brownbul

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Fishpool, L. and J. A. Tobias (2020). Northern Brownbul (Phyllastrephus strepitans), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.norbro1.01
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