Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

Shrikebill

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Kingdom
  
Animalia

Scientific name
  
Clytorhynchus

Rank
  
Genus

Family
  
Monarchidae

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Passerine

Lower classifications
  
Fiji shrikebill, Southern shrikebill, Rennell shrikebill, Black‑throated shrikebill

The shrikebills are the monarch flycatcher genus Clytorhynchus. The five species have long laterally compressed bills similar to true shrikes that give them their names. The genus is endemic to the islands of Melanesia and western Polynesia.

Contents

The shrikebills are insectivorous, and use their large heavy bills to explore tangles of dead leaves and dead wood; an unusual foraging strategy for their family. Their diet may also include small fruits and lizards.

Extant species

The genus Clytorhynchus contains the following species:

  • Southern shrikebill (Clytorhynchus pachycephaloides)
  • Fiji shrikebill (Clytorhynchus vitiensis)
  • Black-throated shrikebill (Clytorhynchus nigrogularis)
  • Santa Cruz shrikebill (Clytorhynchus sanctaecrucis)
  • Rennell shrikebill (Clytorhynchus hamlini)
  • Former species

    Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Clytorhynchus:

  • Sangihe shrikethrush (as Pinarolestes sanghirensis)
  • Little shrikethrush (as Pinarolestes megarhynchos or Pinarolestes megarhynchus)
  • References

    Shrikebill Wikipedia