The icterine greenbul (Phyllastrephus icterinus) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in western and central Africa.
The icterine greenbul was originally described in the genus Trichophorus (a synonym for Criniger).[1] The term icterine refers to its yellowish colouration. Formerly, some authorities have considered Sassi's greenbul to be a subspecies of the icterine greenbul.[2] [3] Alternate names for the icterine greenbul include the lesser icterine bulbul.
Until 2018, a rare colour morph of the icterine greenbul from the Cavalla forest in south-eastern Liberia was believed to be a separate species. The Liberian greenbul (Phyllastrephus leucolepis) was known from only a few sightings between 1981 and 1984, and a specimen collected in 1984.[4] This specimen is now considered to have been a plumage aberration. A 2017 DNA analysis revealed that the bird(s) were common icterine greenbuls, albeit with unusual plumage colouring, which may have been caused by a nutritional deficiency.[5] Alternative names for the Liberian greenbul included the spot-winged bulbul, spot-winged greenbul and white-winged greenbul.
The icterine greenbul is found in Africa from Guinea to Ghana; southern Nigeria to western and southern Uganda, eastern and central Democratic Republic of the Congo and extreme north-western Angola.[6] Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and moist savanna.
