Sjöstedt's greenbul is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in western and central Africa.
Region
West and Central Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid lowland and foothill forests, favoring mature evergreen rainforest, riverine gallery woodland, and well-developed secondary growth. It frequents forest edges, clearings with tall trees, and old fallows, but is less common in highly degraded scrub. Typically forages from the lower canopy to midstory, occasionally descending to dense understory tangles. Presence is closely tied to continuous forest cover and tall trees for foraging and nesting.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Named for the Swedish naturalist Bror Yngve Sjöstedt, this greenbul is best detected by its loud, ringing calls that carry through dense forest. It often travels with mixed-species flocks in the canopy and midstory, where its rather plain plumage makes voice the key to identification. Like many bulbuls, it adapts to selectively logged and secondary forests, provided sufficient cover remains.
Temperament
secretive but active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Often joins small parties and mixed-species flocks, moving methodically through the midstory and canopy. Breeding pairs are monogamous and build neat cup-shaped nests placed in foliage or vine tangles. Both parents typically participate in rearing the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Voice is a loud, ringing series of clear, whistled notes and phrases, often delivered in bursts from concealed perches. Calls carry far and are used to maintain contact within loose groups.
Plumage
Olive to olive-brown upperparts with slightly paler, yellow-olive underparts and a subtly paler throat. Plumage is fairly uniform with soft texture and minimal streaking, giving a plain greenish-brown impression.
Diet
Consumes a mix of small fruits and berries along with insects and other arthropods. Gleans prey from leaves, twigs, and bark, and occasionally snatches flushed insects in short sallies. Fruit taken includes figs and other soft, pulpy species, making it an effective seed disperser.
Preferred Environment
Feeds primarily in the canopy and midstory of intact and lightly disturbed forests, as well as along forest edges. Will exploit fruiting trees and vine tangles and may follow mixed flocks to locate food-rich patches.
