Phyllastrephus icterinus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The icterine greenbul (Phyllastrephus icterinus) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is native to the African tropical rainforest. The icterine greenbul was originally described in the genus Trichophorus (a synonym for Criniger). The term icterine refers to its yellowish colouration. Formerly, some authorities have considered Sassi's greenbul to be a subspecies of the icterine greenbul. 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. 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. Alternative names for the Liberian greenbul included the spot-winged bulbul, spot-winged greenbul and white-winged greenbul... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Taï National Park | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | |
| 3 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Icterine Greenbul sighting in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 382nd most-seen of the 400 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Icterine Greenbul in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Icterine Greenbul sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Icterine Greenbul sightings, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Semuliki National Park (Uganda, about 20%) and Taï National Park (Ivory Coast, about 10%).
Same genus: Phyllastrephus
The closest relatives of the Icterine Greenbul that you can see in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (genus Phyllastrephus, Typical Greenbuls and Brownbuls) are Yellow-streaked Bulbul (about 20%), Cabanis's Greenbul (about 10%) and Toro Olive-Greenbul (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Icterine Greenbul is recorded against all the birds logged in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
