Woodhoopoes (Phoeniculidae) - HBW 6
Common Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas)
French: Irrisor namaquois
German: Sichelhopf
Spanish: Abubilla-arbórea Cimitarra
Other common names: (Greater) Scimitarbill
Taxonomy: Falcinellus cyanomelas Vieillot, 1819, Orange River, north-western Cape Province.
Genus often merged into Phoeniculus. Present species forms a superspecies with R. aterrimus; these two are sometimes considered conspecific, intergrading in S Angola and SE Zaire, with hybridization also documented, but elsewhere (e.g. W Zambia) they appear ecologically separated; morphological and vocal differences also suggest they are probably better treated as separate species. Birds from Zimbabwe, S Mozambique and E South Africa (Transvaal, Zululand), described as intermedius, now regarded as inseparable from schalowi. Two subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- schalowi Neumann, 1900 - W Uganda, W & C Kenya and S Somalia S to Zambia and W Natal.
- cyanomelas (Vieillot, 1819) - SW Angola and Namibia E to Transvaal.
- Least Concern
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A bird perched on a high branch Augrabies Falls National Park, Northern Cape Province, South Africa (cyanomelas)
Helmut Schenkel Br... 31 July 2003 2 years ago 25 sec 3.9
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A bird on a spiny bush Etosha National Park, Kunene Region, Namibia
Aleix Comas 26 August 2007 15 weeks ago 3.3
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Call. Roy's Camp. 50km NW from Grootfontein. Grootfontein, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia
(cyanomelas)
Charles Hesse 19 November 2009 12 weeks ago 3
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