- Clytorhynchus sanctaecrucis
Identification
19–20 cm (7½-8 in)
Male
- Black head and throat, with contrasting white ear-coverts and short white supercilium.
- Upperparts blue-glossed black or sooty-coloured, upperwing and tail sooty black, wing-coverts and remiges with indistinct narrow paler edges
- Outer tail feathers with small white tips
- Breast and entire underparts white
- Iris dark
- Heavy blue-grey bill with black nail
- Legs blue-grey.
Female is rufous above, with head somewhat greyer, and distinctly paler below. Throat is creamy whitish. Juvenile is like female.
Similar Species
Black-throated Shrikebill is similar but has a grey or brown crown (not black) and a much heavier differently colored bill. No overlap in range.
Distribution
Mountains of Santa Cruz Group (Solomon Islands) where very rare and poorly known. Discovered in 1927 and not seen again until 2004. Thought to be declining. Endangered.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1]. Formerly considered a subspecies of the Black-throated Shrikebill.
Habitat
Dense old-growth forest, often with tangled vines. Apparently occurs only deep within forest.
Behaviour
Diet
Insectivorous.
Vocalisation
Male gives a clear rich whistle usually 2–4 slurred pulses, becoming quieter at end.
Movements
Sedentary
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, D. A. Christie, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Santa Cruz Shrikebill (Clytorhynchus sanctaecrucis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bktshr2.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Santa Cruz Shrikebill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 8 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Santa_Cruz_Shrikebill
