Woodhoopoes (Phoeniculidae) - HBW 6
Black Woodhoopoe (Rhinopomastus aterrimus)
French: Irrisor noir
German: Mohrensichelhopf
Spanish: Abubilla-arbórea Negra
Other common names: Black Scimitarbill, Lesser/Scimitar-billed Woodhoopoe
Taxonomy: Promerops aterrimus Stephens, 1826, Senegal.
Taxonomy rather complicated, and much debated. Genus often merged into Phoeniculus. In past, under arrangement with division of family into three genera, present species was commonly placed in monospecific Scoptelus, based on rather straight bill. Even under arrangement dividing family into two genera, present species was often placed in Phoeniculus, but DNA studies in particular indicate closer phylogenetic affinities with Rhinopomastus. Forms a superspecies with R. cyanomelas; these two sometimes considered conspecific, intergrading in S Angola and SE Zair.. View all taxonomy...
Taxonomy rather complicated, and much debated. Genus often merged into Phoeniculus. In past, under arrangement with division of family into three genera, present species was commonly placed in monospecific Scoptelus, based on rather straight bill. Even under arrangement dividing family into two genera, present species was often placed in Phoeniculus, but DNA studies in particular indicate closer phylogenetic affinities with Rhinopomastus. Forms a superspecies with R. cyanomelas; these two sometimes considered conspecific, intergrading in S Angola and SE Zaire, with hybridization also documented, but elsewhere (e.g. W Zambia) they appear ecologically separated; differences in morphology and vocalizations also suggest they are probably better treated as separate species. Birds from Angola and W Zambia, described as race anomalus, now considered inseparable from anchietae; those from Sudan described as cavei apparently inseparable from notatus. Four subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- aterrimus (Stephens, 1826) - Senegambia E to W Sudan.
- emini (Neumann, 1905) - C Sudan to NE Zaire and Uganda.
- notatus (Salvin, 1892) - E Sudan and Ethiopia; recently recorded also in NW Somalia.
- anchietae (Bocage, 1892) - S Zaire and Angola to W Zambia.
- Least Concern
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A bird in a tree, foraging Abiata Shalla National Park, Ethiopia (ssp notatus)
Josep del Hoyo 20 December 2005 3 years ago 30 sec 3.7 -
A bird on a branch and jumping. Afar Plains, Ethiopia (ssp notatus)
Josep del Hoyo 27 November 2005 4 years ago n/a 3.1 -
A bird foraging in a tree. Marakissa, The Gambia (ssp aterrimus)
Paul Clarke 8 January 2003 1 year ago 13 sec 2.5 -
A bird moving in a tree and flying away Nechisar National Park, Ethiopia (ssp notatus)
Josep del Hoyo 17 December 2005 3 years ago 16 sec 2.5
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a bird perched, dorsal view Langano, Ethiopia (ssp notatus)
Stefan Helming 27 June 2009 37 weeks ago 4
- No sound recordings available yet
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