Birds Guide

Broadbills
Psarisomus dalhousiae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Passeriformes   Family: Eurylaimidae
Genera
Sapayoa Smithornis Pseudocalyptomena Corydon Cymbirhynchus Eurylaimus Psarisomus Serilophus Calyptomena

The broadbills are a family of small passerine bird species found in tropical southeast Asia, with a few species in Africa.

Broadbills are brightly coloured birds that feed on fruit and also take insects in flycatcher fashion, snapping their broad bills. Their habitat is canopies of wet forests, so despite their colours, they are difficult to observe.

Their nest is a purse-shaped structure built in a tree, into which typically 2–3 eggs are laid.

The Smithornis and Pseudocalyptomena species occur in tropical Africa; the rest extend from the eastern Himalayas to Sumatra and Borneo.

The Sapayoa was originally classified in the group Pipridae, according to Sapayoa aenigma: a New World representative of 'Old World suboscines' the genus more accurately fits the broadbill family.

In addition to the Sapayoa, which if included would be in its own subfamily, there are four other subfamilies of broadbill:

• The typical African broadbills, Smithornithinae (containing three species in a single genus, Smithornis)
• The Asian green broadbills, Calyptomeninae (containing three species in a single genus, Calyptomena)
• Grauer's Broadbill, Pseudocalyptomeninae
• The typical Asian broadbills, Eurylaiminae (the remaining five genera, containing eight species)

Species

• Broad-billed Sapayoa, Sapayoa aenigma
  African Broadbill, Smithornis capensis
  Gray-headed Broadbill, Smithornis sharpei
  Rufous-sided Broadbill, Smithornis rufolateralis
  Grauer's Broadbill, Pseudocalyptomena graueri
  Dusky Broadbill, Corydon sumatranus
  Black-and-red Broadbill, Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos
  Banded Broadbill, Eurylaimus javanicus
  Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Eurylaimus ochromalus
  Wattled Broadbill, Eurylaimus steerii
  Visayan Broadbill, Eurylaimus samarensis
  Long-tailed Broadbill, Psarisomus dalhousiae
  Silver-breasted Broadbill, Serilophus lunatus
  Green Broadbill, Calyptomena viridis
  Hose's Broadbill, Calyptomena hosei
  Whitehead's Broadbill Calyptomena whiteheadi