Scimitarbill

Scimitarbills (also spelt Scimitar-bills) are three species of African bird belonging to the genus Rhinopomastus. They are often classified in the woodhoopoe family Phoeniculidae; however, genetic studies show that they diverged from the true woodhoopoes about 10 million years ago and so they are sometimes placed in a family of their own, the Rhinopomastidae.

They are smaller than most woodhoopoes and their bills are strongly curved like a scimitar, giving them their name. They are mostly glossy black in colour with a few white markings on the wings. While other woodhoopoes are gregarious birds which gather in flocks, the scimitarbills are usually seen alone or in pairs.

They feed mainly on insects and other invertebrates, which they find by using their bills to probe into holes and crevices. They are acrobatic birds, well-adapted for clambering through trees. The eggs are laid in a tree cavity.

Species

• Black Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus aterrimus) - less markedly curved bill than the others. Two populations, one extending from West Africa eastwards to Ethiopia and the other in Angola and adjacent countries.
• Common Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas) - the largest and longest-tailed species and the only one with white markings on the tail. Inhabits Southern and Eastern Africa.
• Abyssinian Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus minor) - smaller than the others with a red bill rather than a black one. Found in arid scrub from Tanzania north to Somalia.

References

• Christopher Perrins, ed. (2004) The New Encyclopedia of Birds, Oxford University Press, Oxford
• Ian Sinclair & Peter Ryan (2003) Birds of Africa south of the Sahara, Struik, Cape Town