Banded broadbill

Eurylaimus javanicus

(Photo from Auk Anak Wayang)

Common name:
banded broadbill (en); bico-largo-de-colar (pt); eurylaime de Horsfield (fr); eurilaimo bandeado (es); purpurkopf-breitrachen (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Eurylaimidae

Range:
This species is found from southern Myanmar and Thailand to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Java and nearby smaller islands.

Size:
These birds are 21,5-23 cm long and weigh 73-87 g.

Habitat:
The banded broadbill is mostly found in moist tropical forests, including logged forests, but also uses swamp forests, plantations, rural gardens and urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on insects, namely grasshoppers and crickets, beetles, bugs and caterpillars.

Breeding:
Banded broadbills breed in March-December, varying among different parts of their range. The nest is a very large and compact pear-shaped structure, made of twigs, roots, leaves, grass and moss, and lined with leaves. The nest is often decorated with various materials and fixed to the main branch of a tree, often near the bank of a river or stream. The female lays 2-3 white or creamy-white eggs with purple and reddish-brown speckles and spots. There is no information regarding the length of the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is is reported to be relatively common in Indonesia, except in Java where it is rare, while in Indochina the species is reported to be uncommon in the southern lowlands and extremely rare further north. There is no available information on population trends.

African broadbill

Smithornis capensis

Photo by Hugh Chittenden (10.000 Birds)

Common name:
African broadbill (en); bico-largo-africano (pt); eurylaime du Cap (fr); eurilaimo africano (es); schwarzscheitel breitrachen (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Eurylaimidae

Range:
This African species is found in two separate populations, one in coastal West Africa and a larger one in East African from Uganda south to Zimbabwe, Botswana and north-eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 14 cm long and weigh 20-25 g.

Habitat:
This species is mostly found in coastal evergreen forests and dry savannas, but also in inland moist forests, scrublands and sometimes also in plantations and arable land. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.550 m.

Diet:
They mostly forage on the ground or in the trees, and ocasionally in flight, taking insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, bugs and caterpillars, and spiders.

Breeding:
African broadbills mainly breed in October-January, but this may vary between different parts of their range. They are monogamous and nest in an oval-shaped structure with a side entrance, made of bark, dry leaves, twigs, grass and rootlets, often held together by strands of spider web. It hangs conspicuously from a low branch of a tree, usually 1,5-3 m above the ground. The female lays 1-3 white eggs, which she incubates alone for 16-17 days while the male keeps watch outside the nest. The chicks are mainly fed by the male but there is no available information regarding the fledgling period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the African broadbill is reported to be locally common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction but it is not considered threatened at present.

Black-and-red Broadbill

Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos

Common name:

black-and-red broadbill (en); bico-largo-vermelho-e-preto (pt); eurylaime rouge et noir (fr); eurilaimo rojinegro (es); kellenschnabel-breitrachen (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Eurylaimidae

Range:

They are found in Borneo, Myanmar, southern Thailand, southern Laos, southern Vietnam, peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra in Indonesia.

Size:

Black-and-red broadbills are 21-24 cm long and weigh 50-76,5 g.

Habitat:

These birds are found in tropical and subtropical moist lowland forests and in tropical and subtropical mangrove forests, always near water.

Diet:

Their food mostly consist of insects, but also mollusks, crabs, and small fish.

Breeding:

Black-and-red broadbills breed in March-June. Both sexes take part in building the nest, a bulky, untidy ball hanging from the tip of a dead branch or stick about 1-2 m above the water surface. The female lays 2-3 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 21 days. The chicks are fed by both parents until fledging which takes place 17 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The global population size of this has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be uncommon to locally common over its very large breeding range. The population has decreased considerably as a result of ongoing destruction of lowland rainforest. Also, forest fires, predators and human disturbance all threaten the survival of young birds. Still, this species is not considered threatened at present.