Abyssinian Scimitarbill - BirdForum Opus

Photo by volker sthamer
Bilen, Ethiopia, November 2012

Rhinopomastus minor

Identification

Length 23-24 cm; much smaller than Wood-hoopoes; tail shorter than other Scimitar-bills. Glossy purple-black; the bill is orange and strongly decurved; feet and legs black.

Distribution

Eastern Africa: found in Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• R. m. minor:

• Ethiopia to Somalia and northern Kenya

• R. m. cabanisi:

• Sudan to southern Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania

Habitat

Arid to semi-arid scrub and woodland.

Behaviour

Vocalisation

Includes a chattering kirrie-kirrie-kirrie-kirrie and a yelping kweee-u.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Sinclair, I and P Ryan. 2003. Birds of Africa South of the Sahara. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691118154

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Abyssinian Scimitarbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Abyssinian_Scimitarbill

External Links

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