Common Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas)
About the Common Scimitarbill
The common scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas) is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Adults weigh roughly 35 grams and 26 cm in length. As adults, their beaks are black but as juveniles, their beaks are grey. Females and juveniles are more brown on the front of their body. They feed almost entirely on insects behind the bark of a tree, which is the reason for their probing beak. (Scimitarbilled woodhoopoe=) Common scimitarbill – Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 96 recordings for this species: 5 CC BY-NC-ND · 1 CC BY-NC-SA. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- African Pied WagtailMotacilla aguimprecording
- Black-backed PuffbackDryoscopus cublarecording
- BrubruNilaus aferrecording
- Chinspot BatisBatis molitorrecording
- Fiery-necked NightjarCaprimulgus pectoralisrecording
- Fork-tailed DrongoDicrurus adsimilisrecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.