Visayan Broadbill
Sarcophanops samarensis
A medium-sized bird of lowland forest on Bohol, Leyte, and Samar islands. Has a pale blue bill and deeper blue eye wattle, a black face, a streaked crown, a reddish-brown back, a dark wing with a pinkish to white wingbar, a thin white collar with some scaling above, and a reddish rump and tail. Underparts are white in the female and pinkish in the male. Makes short sallies for insects. Can be found in pairs, small groups, or sometimes mixed-species flocks. Unmistakable. Voice includes a plaintive whistle and a sharp “tyik!”
Taxonomy
Small, brightly coloured passerine of lowland forest on Bohol, Leyte, and Samar islands. Has a pale blue bill and deeper blue eye wattle, a black face, a streaked crown, a reddish-brown back, a dark wing with a pinkish to white wingbar, a thin white collar with some scaling above, reddish rump and tail and overall stout appearance. Underparts are white in the female and pinkish in the male. Makes short sallies for insects. Can be found in pairs, small groups, or sometimes mixed-species flocks. Unmistakable. Voice includes a plaintive whistle and a sharp tyik!.<p>They are sexually dimorphic in which the males have reddish-pink bellies with the females having clean white bellies. The collar of the males is reddish-pink while females have a black-and-white collar.<p>It is differentiated by its thinner reddish collar and white wing patch versus the Wattled broadbill with its thicker white collar and yellow wing patch. It is also smaller with sizes of 14-15 versus the 16–18 cm of the Wattled broadbill
- Scientific name
- Sarcophanops samarensis
- Authority
- Steere, 1890
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Eurylaimidae
- Genus
- Sarcophanops
Range and habitat
Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forest, tropical mangrove forest, and tropical moist shrubland with most records under 1,000 meters above sea level. It is often found foraging in the understorey and lower parts of the canopy.<p>IUCN has assessed this bird as vulnerable with the population being estimated at 2,500 to 9,999. Extensive lowland deforestation on all islands in its range is the main threat. Most remaining lowland forest that is not afforded protection leaving it vulnerable to both legal and Illegal logging, conversion into farmlands through Slash-and-burn and mining. There is only 4% forest remaining in Bohol and around 400 km2 of primary forest combined in Samar and Leyte with no respite in deforestation.<p>This occurs in a few protected areas such as Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape and Samar Island Natural Park however protection is lax.<p>Conservation actions proposed include to survey remaining habitat to better understand ecology and population size. Propose sites supporting key populations for protection and ensure that proposed protected areas receive actual protection from threats.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Black-and-tawny Seedeater
Sporophila nigrorufa
Small seedeater with a short thick bill. Males are black and cinnamon-colored; note the cinnamon rump. Females are green-olive, like other female seedeaters. Occurs in grassy areas near water; may gather in large flocks of up to 100 individuals in the non-breading season, but has a very limited global range.
Song Wren
Cyphorhinus phaeocephalus
Chunky short-tailed wren with long bill. Pale blue skin around eye is distinctive among wrens in range but compare with various antbirds. Note rufous throat and cheek and black barring on wings. Usually found in pairs or small groups. Always close to the ground in forested areas. Heard more often than seen; listen for unique combination of deep whistles and harsher clucking notes.
Hartert's Camaroptera
Camaroptera harterti
A small, chunky, wren-like understory warbler that often leans forward and cocks its short tail. This species has brown eyes, olive-green wings and tail, and white underparts. Found in evergreen forest understory, plantation, and thickets along the Angolan escarpment. Usually in pairs, hopping about, often low to the ground, searching for small insects. The two common vocalizations are a nasal “meehrrp” alarm call and a strident repeated snapping “strik-strik-strik-strik-strik” song. Very similar to Green-backed Camaroptera, but tail is brighter green, rather than gray or gray-green, and underparts are cleaner white, rather than grayish, especially on the breast.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.