Yellow-throated Nicator Nicator vireo Scientific name definitions

c. 16–18 cm; male 21–26 g, one female 23·5 g. Small, shrike-like bulbul with relatively heavy hooked bill, conspicuous yellow spots on wings  , feathering of lores and preorbital area stiff, short and upward-pointing. Forehead and crown are greyish-olive, hindcrown and upperparts olive-green; tail paler and yellower green, tips of all except inner two feather pairs bold yellowish, yellow widening from c. 1 mm on third pair (T3) to c. 6 mm on outer edge of outermost (T6); stiff feathers forming well-defined two-tone contrasting supraloral streak extending from base of bill to above eye, narrowly black above, wider bright yellow below; row of black preorbital bristles around leading edge of eye, extending in arc from beneath supraloral streak to above rear of gape; periorbital area, cheek and ear-coverts olive-grey; flight-feathers dark brown, narrowly fringed bright olive-green, inner secondaries and tertials with large yellow terminal spot; larger upperwing-coverts dark brown, primary coverts narrowly fringed yellow, greater and median coverts with large pale yellow terminal spot, lesser coverts dark green (two rows of contrasting yellow spots across upperwing-coverts); chin grey, throat and side of neck yellow or yellowish-green; breast and flanks grey, washed greenish laterally, belly greyish-white, thighs green, undertail-coverts yellow or greenish-yellow; underwing-coverts and axillaries yellow; iris brown or grey-brown; bill blackish or blackish-horn above, blue-grey or pale grey below; legs grey of blue-grey. Differs from N. chloris in smaller size, yellow throat, more extensive, yellow supraloral streak. Sexes alike, female on average smaller than male. Juvenile has forehead green, less yellow on throat.

W & S Cameroon, SW Central African Republic and N & W Congo S to N Angola, also W, SW, NE & E DRCongo and extreme W Uganda.

Song  , from dense cover, a loud, far-carrying series of 8–11 resonant, explosive notes, “ko-kwee-ko-ko-ko-kwee-kuk-kuk” or “po-tyoo-ho-ho-ho-whee, tyoo-ho-ho”, with some variations. Calls include angry “gwrrrrrr”.