The bristlebills are a genus Bleda of passerine birds in the bulbul family Pycnonotidae. They are found in the forest understorey of western and central Africa. They forage for insects at or near ground-level, often near water. They will follow driver ant swarms to catch prey items fleeing from the ants and they frequently join mixed-species feeding flocks.
They are 18–23 cm long with fairly long, stout bills. The upperparts are mainly green-brown while the underparts are yellow. The birds have whistling songs.
The nest is made of leaves or sticks and built in a shrub or small tree. Two eggs are laid.
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Taxonomy
The genus Bleda was introduced in 1857 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte with the red-tailed bristlebill as the type species. The genus was named after Bleda, elder brother of Attila and joint ruler of the Huns.
Species
The genus contains five species:
Former species
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Bleda:
Kakamega greenbul (as Xenocichla kakamegae)
Olive-breasted greenbul (as Xenocichla kikuyuensis)
Mountain greenbul (as Xenocichla nigriceps)
Black-browed greenbul (as Xenocichla fusciceps)
Yellow-throated greenbul (as Xenocichla chlorigula)
Stripe-cheeked greenbul (as Xenocichla milanjensis)
Stripe-faced greenbul (as Xenocichla striifacies)
Sjöstedt's greenbul (as Xenocichla clamans)
Yellow-throated leaflove (as Xenocichla flavicollis)
Uganda yellow-throated greenbul (as Xenocichla pallidigula)
Gabon leaflove (as Xenocichla orientalis)
Placid greenbul (as Xenocichla placida)
Xavier's greenbul (as Xenocichla Xavieri)
White-throated greenbul (as Xenocichla albigularis)
Yellow-streaked greenbul (tenuirostris) (as Xenocichla tenuirostris)
Sharpe's greenbul (as Bleda alfredi)
Grey-headed greenbul (as Xenocichla poliocephala)
Lowland tiny greenbul (as Xenocichla debilis)
Yellow-bearded greenbul (as Xenocichla olivacea)