Shelley's Greenbul (Arizelocichla masukuensis) [XC517152]
by Louis A. Hansen from Suni camp, Chita Forest, southern Udzungwa Scarp, Tanzania (call)
Shelley's Greenbul (Arizelocichla masukuensis) [XC514629]
by Louis A. Hansen from Dibililo camp, Mafwemiro forest, Mpwapwa, Dodoma Region, Tanzania (call)
Subspecies
Shelley's Greenbul (Arizelocichla masukuensis) and Kakamega Greenbul (Andropadus kakamegae) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) have been lumped into Andropadus masukuensis following Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993).
Has been suggested as forming a superspecies with Cameroon Mountain Greenbul (Arizelocichla montana), and in the past considered conspecific, but differs significantly in plumage and voice. Recent molecular data, however, supporting similarities in vocalizations and aspects of behaviour (including scansorial foraging technique), indicate that it forms a superspecies with Western Mountain Greenbul (Arizelocichla tephrolaema), with Cameroon Mountain Greenbul (Arizelocichla montana) as sister-taxon to both. Subspecies kungwensis originally described under Western Mountain Greenbul (Arizelocichla tephrolaema), when latter considered conspecific with Eastern Mountain Greenbul (Arizelocichla nigriceps). Has been proposed that grey-headed subspecies (kakamegae, kungwensis) and green-headed ones (roehli, nominate) represent two incipient species.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
masukuensis (Shelley, 1897) - South-western Tanzania (Rungwe, Ukinga) and extreme northern Malawi (Misuku Hills).
kakamegae (Sharpe, 1900) - Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (from south-eastern edge of Ituri south to Mt Kabobo), south-western Uganda (Kalinzu, Bwindi), south-western Rwanda, western Burundi, western Tanzania (Kigoma) and western Kenya. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Kakamega Greenbul (Andropadus kakamegae).
kungwensis (Moreau, 1941) - Kungwe-Mahari Mts, in western Tanzania. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Kakamega Greenbul (Andropadus kakamegae). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Eastern Mountain Greenbul (Arizelocichla nigriceps).
roehli (Reichenow, 1905) - North-eastern, central and south-western Tanzania (from South Pare Mts and Usambaras southern in eastern Arc range to Songea and Njombe).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet