Sharpbill (Oxyruncus cristatus)

Brazilian name: araponga-do-horto

Sharpbill, Boa Nova, Bahia, Brazil, July 2002 - click for larger image Brazil

The Sharpbill is found in a series of disjunct areas from Costa Rica to south-east Brazil and including the tepuis of southern Venezuela and the Guianas, Amapá, eastern Pará, and various spots on the eastern slopes of the Andes.

Sharpbill, Boa Nova, Bahia, Brazil, July 2002 - click for larger image It inhabits the canopy and border of humid forest and is rarely to be seen as low as the individual in the photos.

Amongst its many distinguishing features are its sharply pointed bill, the orange-reddish iris, the scaling on the head and neck and the black spots on the underparts. It has a red or yellow crest which is normally flattened and hidden as in the second photo.

Sharpbill, Parque do Zizo, São Paulo, Brazil, November 2006 - click for larger image It feeds on fruit and caterpillars.

It used to be placed in a family of its own but recent DNA evidence suggests that it is a member of the cotinga family.

There are illustrations in Ridgely & Tudor, Volume 2, Plate 48; and Sick, Plate 33.

Sharpbill, Parque do Zizo, São Paulo, Brazil, November 2006 - click for larger image There are recordings on xeno-canto.
Sharpbill, Parque do Zizo, São Paulo, Brazil, November 2006 - click for larger image
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