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Overview
Sassi's olive greenbul

Sassi's olive greenbul

Wikipedia

Sassi's olive greenbul is a songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.

Distribution

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

Characteristics

Size15–18 cm
Wing Span23–28 cm
Male Weight0.022 kg
Female Weight0.02 kg
Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

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.

Gallery

Bird photo
Bird photo

Behaviour

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.

Similar Bird Species