Sassi's olive greenbul is a songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.
Region
Central Africa
Typical Environment
Associated with evergreen and semi-evergreen lowland rainforest, forest edges, and dense secondary growth. It favors tangled vine thickets, gallery forests along rivers, and shrub-laden clearings within larger forest blocks. Often keeps to mid-story and understory levels where cover is dense. Presence is more likely in relatively undisturbed woodlands but it may tolerate some disturbance if dense cover remains.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Sassi's olive greenbul is a songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae, with typically subdued olive plumage suited to forest understory life. It tends to be shy and is more often detected by its soft, whistled notes than seen clearly. Like many greenbuls, it forages methodically in foliage and often joins mixed-species flocks. Subtle differences in voice and habitat preference are often the best clues to identify it among similar greenbuls.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically forages singly or in pairs and readily joins mixed-species flocks moving through the understory. Nests are usually cup-shaped and placed in low dense vegetation. Pairs maintain small territories during breeding but may be loosely tolerant of neighbors at rich food sources.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Soft, whistled phrases and thin chips delivered from cover, often repeated in short series. Alarm calls are sharper scolds or chatters when disturbed.
Plumage
Plain olive-green upperparts with paler, slightly yellow-olive underparts; plumage appears matte and uniform with minimal streaking.
Diet
Takes small insects, spiders, and other arthropods gleaned from leaves and twigs. Supplements with small fruits and berries, including figs, especially when insect prey is less abundant. Occasionally hawks short distances to snatch flushed prey. Foraging is deliberate and methodical within dense foliage.
Preferred Environment
Dense understory of primary and secondary rainforest, forest edges, and thickets along streams. Frequently works in shaded, leafy tangles where it can remain concealed while feeding.
