Banded broadbill

Banded broadbill
purplish-red bird with bright blue bill, black neckband, and black wings with yellow markings
Male of the subspecies pallidus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Eurylaimidae
Genus: Eurylaimus
Species:
E. javanicus
Binomial name
Eurylaimus javanicus
Horsfield, 1821
Map of Southeast Asia with green marking areas the banded broadbill is found
Range of the banded broadbill; nominate subspecies in light green and other subspecies in dark green
Synonyms[2]
  • Eurylaimus Javanicus Horsfield, 1821
  • Eurylaimus horsfieldii (Temminck, 1823)
  • Eurylaimus javanicus billitonis (Kloss, 1931)
  • Eurylaimus javanicus friedmanni (Deignan, 1947)

The banded broadbill (Eurylaimus javanicus) is a species of bird in the Eurylaimidae typical broadbill family found in Mainland Southeast Asia and the Greater Sunda Islands. It is sometimes split into two species, one including only the nominate subspecies, E. j. javanicus, and one including all the remaining subspecies. It inhabits a variety of forests, along with forest edge, rubber plantations and Falcataria falcata groves, mainly in lowland areas. A striking, large-bodied bird with a length of 21.5–23.0 cm (8.5–9.1 in), it is unlikely to be mistaken for another species. The broadbill is mostly purplish-red, with yellow-streaked black wings, a bright blue beak, a blackish face and greyish chin and upper breast. Females can be told apart from males by their lack of a black neckband, although these are indistinct in Bornean and Javan males. Despite its conspicuous appearance, the bird is usually hard to see due to its sluggishness and is usually only noticed when it vocalises.

The species mainly eats arthropods such as orthopterans (grasshoppers, katydids and crickets), true bugs and beetles, but has also been recorded feeding on snails, lizards, frogs and figs. On the mainland, breeding generally occurs during the dry season; populations in the Greater Sundas have a longer breeding season lasting from March to November. On Java, the broadbill is thought to breed year-round. Their large, raggedy nests are hung from trees at a height of 6–21 m (20–69 ft) over clearings or water bodies. Clutches have two or three eggs. The eggs are usually dull white with dark purple or reddish-brown flecks, but those from West Java are dirty white with dense rusty-brown to lavender-grey markings. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which splits the banded broadbill into two species, classifies javanicus as being near-threatened and the other subspecies as being of least concern.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Javan Broadbill". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T103656944A104031815. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103656944A104031815.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Dekker, René W. R. J.; Dickinson, Edward C.; Eck, Siegfried; Somadikarta, Soekarja (2000). "Systematic notes on Asian birds. 3. Types of the Eurylaimidae" (PDF). Zoologische Verhandelingen. 331: 77–88 [80]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2022.