African Broadbill
Smithornis capensis
The African Broadbill (Smithornis capensis) is a rare african and green broadbill found in 20 countries, weighing about 23 g. The African broadbill, also known as the black-capped broadbill or Delacour's broadbill, is a species of bird in the suboscine family Calyptomenidae.
About the African Broadbill
The African broadbill, also known as the black-capped broadbill or Delacour's broadbill, is a species of bird in the suboscine family Calyptomenidae.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The African broadbill is a boldly streaked, largely brown, stocky, flycatcher-like bird. They have dark crowns, which are black in the males and grey in the females of the eastern subspecies, and blackish in both sexes of the subspecies S.c. meinertzhageni. The upperparts are mainly olive-brown with black streaks, the bases of the feathers on the lower back and rump are white and are hidden when the bird is at rest. The underparts are buff or creamy-white with black streaks on the flanks and the breast. There is subspecific variation with S.c. meinertzhageni and S.c.
What the African Broadbill sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Botswana.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an African Broadbill?
- The African broadbill is a boldly streaked, largely brown, stocky, flycatcher-like bird. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an African Broadbill?
- The African Broadbill is a small sized bird weighing about 23 g.
- Where can you see an African Broadbill?
- The African Broadbill occurs in 20 countries, including South Africa, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
- What does an African Broadbill sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the African Broadbill on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to an African Broadbill?
- The African Broadbill is most easily confused with the Rufous-sided Broadbill and the Grey-headed Broadbill.
- Is the African Broadbill endangered?
- The African Broadbill is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the African Broadbill for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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