Common scimitarbill

The common scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas) is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.^[2]

Common scimitarbill
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Bucerotiformes
Family:	Phoeniculidae
Genus:	Rhinopomastus
Species:	R. cyanomelas
Binomial name
Rhinopomastus cyanomelas (Vieillot, 1819)

Description

Adults weigh roughly 35 grams and 26 cm in length.^[3] As adults, their beaks are black but as juveniles, their beaks are grey.^[4] Females and juveniles are more brown on the front of their body.^[2] They feed almost entirely on insects behind the bark of a tree, which is the reason for their probing beak.^[3]

Juvenile in Etosha National Park