.jpg)
Scimitarbill
Sign in to saveAlso known as Rhinopomastus
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.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Image
- The common scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas) at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa (39621225324).jpg
Show 4 more facts
- Commons category
- Rhinopomastus
- taxon rank
- genus
- taxon name
- Rhinopomastus
- topic's main category
- Category:Rhinopomastus
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~2 min read
Encyclopedic overview
3 sectionsContents
- Species
- References
- Bibliography
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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Scimitarbill” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.