From Opus

Smithornis sharpei

[edit] Identification

15 - 18cm.

• Blue-grey crown and ear-coverts
• White throat
• Rufescent upperparts with some black patches, wings browner
• White underparts with broad orange breastband, broken in the centre, orange extending to head
• Rest of underparts with dark brown streaks

Females have less and duller orange on breast and usually a dark grey crown.

[edit] Similar species

African Broadbill is smaller and has no orange breastband. Rufous-sided Broadbill has white wingbars and no blue-grey crown.

[edit] Distribution

Three disjunct populations in central Africa: Found on Bioko, from southeast Nigeria east to Cameroon, Gabon, Congo and Central African Republic and in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Status poorly known. Apparently not uncommon in suitable habitat.

[edit] Taxonomy

Three subspecies recognized:

• S. s. zenkeri in extreme southeast Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, northern Gabon, northwest Republic of the Congo and southwest Central African Republic
• S. s. sharpei on Bioko
• S. s. eurylaemus in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Closely related to African Broadbill.

[edit] Habitat

Found in lower and middle storey of primary or secondary rainforest. Little tolerance to disturbance.
Occurs at 800 - 1800m on Bioko, from lowland forest up to 1950m on the African mainland.

[edit] Behaviour

Feeds on insects.
Breeds in the dry season. The nest is a bag made of plant fibres, lichen and moss. It's suspended from a small branch, 1 to 16m above the ground. Lays 2 eggs.
A resident species.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and D Christie, eds. 2003. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 8: Broadbills to Tapaculos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334504

• List of references

[edit] External Links