The
broadbills are a family of small
passerineA passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders:...
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s,
Eurylaimidae. The
Smithornis and
Pseudocalyptomena species occur in
sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
; the rest extend from the eastern
HimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalayas for short , meaning "abode of snow", is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
to
SumatraSumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world .-Etymology:Sumatra was known in ancient times by the Sanskrit...
and
BorneoBorneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. Administratively, this island is divided among Indonesia , Malaysia and Brunei . Indonesians refer to the island as Kalimantan...
. The family possibly also includes the Sapayoa from the Neotropics and the asities from
MadagascarMadagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to...
.
Many of the broadbills are brightly coloured birds. They range from 13 to 28 centimetres in length, and live in the dense canopies of wet forests, allowing them to hide despite their brightly coloured plumage.
The
broadbills are a family of small
passerineA passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders:...
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s,
Eurylaimidae. The
Smithornis and
Pseudocalyptomena species occur in
sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
; the rest extend from the eastern
HimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalayas for short , meaning "abode of snow", is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
to
SumatraSumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world .-Etymology:Sumatra was known in ancient times by the Sanskrit...
and
BorneoBorneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. Administratively, this island is divided among Indonesia , Malaysia and Brunei . Indonesians refer to the island as Kalimantan...
. The family possibly also includes the Sapayoa from the Neotropics and the asities from
MadagascarMadagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to...
.
Description
Many of the broadbills are brightly coloured birds. They range from 13 to 28 centimetres in length, and live in the dense canopies of wet forests, allowing them to hide despite their brightly coloured plumage. The plumage of the three African broadbills in the genus
SmithornisSmithornis is a genus of bird in the Eurylaimidae family.It contains the following species:* African Broadbill * Rufous-sided Broadbill * Grey-headed Broadbill...
is in contrast dull and streaked. The bills, which give the family their common name, are broad, flat and hooked.
Behaviour
The broadbills are for the most part insectivorous and carnivorous. Prey taken include insects, spiders, centipedes and millipedes, as well as lizards and tree frogs. Prey is obtained by sallying from a perch to snatch it in flight, and gleaning the prey off leaves and branches while flying. Some species may take some fruit, but only the green broadbills of the genus
CalyptomenaThe bird genus Calyptomena, first described by Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1822, consists of three species of south-east Asian broadbills with primarily green plumages. All are found in forests, and two of the species are endemic to Borneo.-Species:...
and the
African Green BroadbillThe Grauer's Broadbill or African Green Broadbill, Pseudocalyptomena graueri, is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Pseudocalyptomena.It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda....
are primarily frugivores (which also take some insects as well).
They are generally gregarious, with many species moving about in flocks of about 20 individuals. Broadbills attach their purse-shaped nests to suspended vines, and leave a tail of fibres hanging below it. This gives the nest the appearance of being random debris caught in the tree, an effect further enhanced by the birds covering the nest with lichen and spider webs. Broadbills typically lay two to three eggs.
Taxonomy
The Sapayoa was originally classified in the group Pipridae, according to at least one author, the genus more accurately fits the broadbill family. The four species of asities, a family endemic to
MadagascarMadagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to...
, are sometimes included in the broadbills (Prum 1993).
Species
There are five subfamilies of broadbills.
FAMILY: EURYLAIMIDAE
- Subfamily: Sapyornithinae (probably better considered a distinct family)
- Genus: Sapayoa
- Broad-billed Sapayoa
The Sapayoa or Broad-billed Sapayoa, Sapayoa aenigma, is a suboscine passerine found in lowland rainforests in Panama and northwest South America. As the epithet aenigma implies, its relationships have long been elusive...
,
Sapayoa aenigma
Subfamily: Smithornithinae - typical African broadbills
Genus: SmithornisSmithornis is a genus of bird in the Eurylaimidae family.It contains the following species:* African Broadbill * Rufous-sided Broadbill * Grey-headed Broadbill...
- African Broadbill
The African Broadbill, Smithornis capensis, is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria,...
, Smithornis capensis
- Gray-headed Broadbill, Smithornis sharpei
- Rufous-sided Broadbill
The Rufous-sided Broadbill, Smithornis rufolateralis, is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone,...
, Smithornis rufolateralis
Subfamily: Pseudocalyptomeninae
- Genus: Pseudocalyptomena
- African Green Broadbill
The Grauer's Broadbill or African Green Broadbill, Pseudocalyptomena graueri, is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Pseudocalyptomena.It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda....
,
Pseudocalyptomena graueri
Subfamily: Calyptomeninae - Asian green broadbills
Genus: CalyptomenaThe bird genus Calyptomena, first described by Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1822, consists of three species of south-east Asian broadbills with primarily green plumages. All are found in forests, and two of the species are endemic to Borneo.-Species:...
- Green Broadbill
The Green Broadbill, Calyptomena viridis, is a small, approximately 17cm long, brilliant green-plumaged bird with a black ear patch, wide gape bill, rounded head, short tail and three black bars on wings. The beak itself is very weak and almost hidden by the crest above it. Both sexes are similar...
, Calyptomena viridis
- Hose's Broadbill
Hose's Broadbill is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family. It was named after zoologist Charles Hose. It is endemic to highland forests in northern Borneo. It is threatened by habitat loss. It has a blue belly, but otherwise it resembles the other members of the genus...
, Calyptomena hosei
- Whitehead's Broadbill
The Whitehead's Broadbill is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family. It is restricted to montane forest in northern Borneo. It is the largest member of the genus Calyptomena.-References:...
Calyptomena whiteheadi
Subfamily: Eurylaiminae - typical Asian broadbills
- Genus Corydon
- Dusky Broadbill
The Dusky Broadbill is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family.It is found in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam....
,
Corydon sumatranus
Genus: Cymbirhynchus
- Black-and-red Broadbill
The Black-and-red Broadbill is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Cymbirhynchus....
, Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos
Genus: EurylaimusEurylaimus is a genus of bird in the Eurylaimidae family.It contains the following species:* Banded Broadbill * Black-and-yellow Broadbill * Visayan Broadbill...
- Banded Broadbill
The Banded Broadbill is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family.It is found in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam....
,
Eurylaimus javanicus
Black-and-yellow BroadbillThe Black-and-yellow Broadbill is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand....
, Eurylaimus ochromalus
Wattled Broadbill, Eurylaimus steerii
Visayan BroadbillThe Visayan Broadbill, Eurylaimus samarensis, is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family.It is endemic to the Philippines.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Eurylaimus samarensis
Genus: Psarisomus
- Long-tailed Broadbill
The Long-tailed Broadbill, Psarisomus dalhousiae, is a species of broadbill that is found in the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia. It is the only bird in the genus Psarisomus. The Long-tailed Broadbill is about 25 cm in length and weighs between 50 and 60 grams...
, Psarisomus dalhousiae
Genus: Serilophus
- Silver-breasted Broadbill
The Silver-breasted Broadbill, Serilophus lunatus, is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Serilophus....
,
Serilophus lunatus
External links