Arizelocichla


Arizelocichla is a genus of greenbuls, songbirds in the bulbul family. The genus was revived in 2010 when twelve species of bulbuls from the genus Andropadus were separated and re-classified in the genus Arizelocichla.

Taxonomy

A molecular phylogenetic study of the bulbuls published in 2007 found that the genus Andropadus was polyphyletic. As part of a reorganization to create monophyletic genera, 12 species from Andropadus were moved to the resurrected genus Arizelocichla that had been introduced in 1905 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser with the black-headed mountain greenbul as the type species. The name Arizelocichla combines the Ancient Greek arizēlos meaning "conspicuous" or "admirable" with kikhlē meaning "thrush".

Species

The genus contains the following 11 species:
ImageCommon nameScientific nameDistribution
-Cameroon mountain greenbulArizelocichla montanaWestern High Plateau
Western greenbulArizelocichla tephrolaemaWestern High Plateau and Bioko
Kakamega greenbulArizelocichla kakamegaeLake Victoria region
-Shelley's greenbulArizelocichla masukuensisAlbertine Rift [montane forests], Eastern [Arc Mountains]
and western Kenya
-Uluguru mountain greenbulArizelocichla neumanniUluguru Mountains
-Black-browed mountain greenbulArizelocichla fuscicepsmountains of southwestern Tanzania, northern Malawi
and western Mozambique
Yellow-throated greenbulArizelocichla chlorigulaEastern Arc Mountains
-Kikuyu mountain greenbulArizelocichla kikuyuensisLake Victoria region
Black-headed mountain greenbulArizelocichla nigricepsAlbertine Rift montane forests, Eastern Arc Mountains
and mountains of Kenya and Tanzania
-Olive-headed greenbulArizelocichla striifaciesEastern Afromontane from northern Tanzania to southern Malawi
Stripe-cheeked greenbulArizelocichla milanjensiseastern Zimbabwe and western Mozambique