Woodhoopoes (Phoeniculidae)
Common Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas) - HBW 6, p. 433
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 Enlarge map
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A bird perched on a high branch Locality Augrabies Falls National Park, Northern Cape Province, South Africa (ssp cyanomelas)
Helmut Schenkel Brunner 31 July 2003 5 years ago 25 sec 4.2 -
A male foraging and probing for food in the crevices on tree branches Locality Victoria Falls, Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe (ssp schalowi)
Greg Baker 14 September 1999 1 year ago 43 sec 3
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A bird with a captured larva.
Locality Kruger National Park, South Africa (ssp cyanomelas)
Fran Trabalon 27 October 2008 1 year ago 4 -
An adult bird preening to reveal underwing.
Locality Serengeti National Park, Serengeti, Tanzania (ssp schalowi)
M P Goodey 1 February 2007 1 year ago 3.8 -
A bird on a spiny bush
Locality Etosha National Park, Kunene Region, Namibia (ssp cyanomelas)
Aleix Comas 26 August 2007 3 years ago 3.8 -
A dorsal view.
Locality Etosha National Park, Kunene Region, Namibia (ssp cyanomelas)
Ken Havard 13 April 2013 1 week ago ADDED LAST MONTH 3.5 -
Hunting
Locality Etosha National Park, Kunene Region, Namibia (ssp cyanomelas)
Lindsay Hansch 22 September 2007 2 years ago 3.4 -
Adult looking for food in the trunk of a tree.
Locality Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Kalahari Gemsbok NP), Northern Cape Province, South Africa (ssp cyanomelas)
Carmelo López 6 December 2010 2 years ago 3.3
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Call. Roy's Camp. 50km NW from Grootfontein. Locality Grootfontein, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia
(ssp cyanomelas)
Charles Hesse 19 November 2009 3 years ago 3
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