Sombre Greenbul (Andropadus importunus)

Cover image of Sombre Greenbul by Terry Terblanche – Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape

Greenbuls belong to the Family PYCNONOTIDAE (Greenbuls, Bulbuls, Brownbuls, Leafloves, Bristlebills). They are mid-sized passerines with longish tails and mostly plain-coloured plumage. The family is distributed across most of Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, into the Middle East, through tropical Asia to Indonesia, and as far north as Japan. They occupy a variety of habitats, ranging from dense rainforest to arid savanna. The family comprises 161 species from 28 genera.

Identification

The cheerful Sombre greenbul has dull olive-green upperparts and olive-grey underparts with no other conspicuous features except pale whitish eyes. The Bill is black, and the legs and feet range from brownish to black. The sexes are alike.

Juveniles resemble adults, but have a paler bill and an orange gape. They also have brown eyes and an indistinct yellowish eye ring.

The Sombre Greenbul is easily mistaken for other greenbul species. However, the white eye, if seen, is diagnostic. The Stripe-cheeked Greenbul has a grey (not olive green) crown and face, and dark (not white to pale yellow) eyes. Yellow-streaked Greenbul has a grey (not olive green) crown and ear coverts, a whiteish (not olive-grey) throat, and brown (not white to pale yellow) eyes. The Yellow-bellied Greenbul has bright yellow (not olive-grey) underparts and red eyes.

Status and Distribution

The Sombre Greenbul is common throughout its range. From Kenya and s Somalia south to se Zambia, s Malawi and S Africa. In s Africa, in e Zimbabwe (also Zambezi R valley inland to Lake Kariba), c and s Mozambique, ne S Africa, where extends inland along some river valleys, and Swaziland; also along moist escarpment and lowlands of e S African seaboard west to Cape Peninsula, W Cape.

The Sombre Greenbul is not threatened.

Habitat

The Sombre Greenbul inhabits Coastal scrub and forest, inland in densely wooded valleys; also bush, scrub and woodland, incl thornveld and dry woodland thickets along drainage lines in s Karoo. Prefers natural vegetation, but also in alien Rooikrans Acacia cyclops thickets and in gardens in well-treed suburbs.

Behaviour

Singly or in pairs, occasional large non-br flocks. Shy and inconspicuous, keeping to dense cover, usually in canopy; inquisitive. Dives quickly into cover when alarmed. Flight rapid and direct, but frequently swerves sharply to one side, diving suddenly into cover; sometimes flies with exaggerated wing-beats, with soft wing clapping.

Clambers through foliage in forest and thicket canopy, occasionally feeding in undergrowth, or on ground among leaf litter in low scrub. Forages singly or in pairs. Sometimes hawks flying insects, diving back into cover to eat prey. Eats fruits and berries of Needle Bush Azima tetracantha, num-nums (Carissa spp), cabbage trees (Cussonia spp), wild figs (Ficus spp), False Horsewood Hippobromus pauciflorus, wild currants (Rhus spp), Cat-thorn Scutia myrtina, White Milkwood Sideroxylon inerme, mistletoes (Viscum spp) and alien Cherry-pie Lantana camara. Also eats insects, small snails, chunks of succulent leaves (incl creeper Senecio sp and Pig’s Ears Cotyledon orbiculata), flowers and unopened buds of Aloe spp and Cassia spp, and aloe nectar.

Monogamous; solitary nester, territorial. During precopulatory display, pair faced each other on horizontal branch. Male rapidly raised and lowered head in elliptical arc, periodically making complete turn, with head still bobbing. Crown and nape feathers raised, wings slightly opened and quivering rapidly, giving soft, keening call, with beak slightly open. Female bobbed head, out of phase with male, giving same keening call. Nest: Built by female; male sings from nearby tree. Open cup, usually flimsy and thin-walled, occasionally bulky. Made of twigs, rootlets, grass, lichen and other plant fibres, lined with finer grasses, rootlets, other fine plant fibres, and sometimes hair. Outside diam av 113 mm, height 81 mm; cup diam 63 mm, depth 37 mm (n = 8). Placed 1-4 m, usually 1.5-2.5 m above ground, in main fork of slender tree or shrub, or at end of branch, where supported by foliage. Usually attached to supporting twigs with spider web. Laying dates: Zimbabwe and KwaZulu-Natal Sept-Apr (peak Nov-Dec); E Cape Jul-May (peak Oct-Nov); W Cape Sept-Apr (peak Oct-Nov).

Eggs: 1-3 (2.02, n = 56). Laid at 1 d intervals (n = 7). Variably oval to elliptical. Dull whitish or cream, evenly spotted, streaked and scrolled with reddish brown, purple, olive-brown or greenish brown, over grey or grey-green shadow markings. Markings often concentrated at obtuse end. Size (n = 103) 20.7-27.0 x 14.5-19.3 mm (24.0 x 16.8 mm). Mass (n = 2) 3.4 g, 3.8 g at 3-4 d. 1 pair laid replacement clutch in new nest < 8 d after losing first clutch. Incubation: Period 12.0-13.5 d (13.0 d, n = 3); by female only. Male brings food to incubating female. Readily deserts when eggs fresh; later sits tight, becoming bold and aggressive, sometimes refusing to get off nest even when touched. Development & care of young: Newly hatched young with gape orange, eyes brown, eye ring yellow. Nestling period 10.5-14.0 d (12.9 d, n = 4). Both ads feed and brood chicks, and eat faecal sacs; at some nests, only female broods. Young fed for ca 3 wk after leaving nest. Breeding success: Occasionally double-brooded; 1 female laid second clutch in same nest < 21 d after first brood fledged. Another pair fed first brood for 3 wk post-fledging, before building second nest. Hatching success 95% (n = 55 eggs). On av, 1.73 chicks fledge/successful nest (n = 22 nests). Mayfield nesting success 26% (n = 94 nests). Ad often gives broken-wing distraction display when nest threatened, dropping directly to ground and scuttling away, rat-like. Frequently parasitised by Jacobin Cuckoo.

Further Resources

This species text is adapted from the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), 1997.

The use of photographs by Alex Briggs, Cobus Elstadt, Dieter Oschadleus, Gregg Darling, Itxaso Quintana, Lia Steen, Pieter Cronje, Pieter La Grange, and Terry Terblanche is acknowledged.

Other common names: Sombre Bulbul (Alt. English); Gewone willie (Afrikaans); iWili (Zulu); Inkwili (Xhosa); Bulbul importun (French); Vale Buulbuul (Dutch); Kap-Grünbülbül (German); Tuta-sombria (Portuguese).

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM. 2026. Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunus. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2026/06/03/sombre-greenbul-andropadus-importunus/

List of bird species in this format is available here.

Bird identification, birding

Similar Species