The wattled broadbill or Mindanao broadbill (''Sarcophanops steerii'') is a species of
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
in the family
Eurylaimidae
The Eurylaimidae are a family of suboscine passerine birds that occur from the eastern Himalayas to Indonesia and the Philippines.
The family previously included the sapayoa from the Neotropics, the asities from Madagascar, and the Calyptomeni ...
where it was previously conspecific to the
Visayan broadbill
The Visayan broadbill (''Sarcophanops samarensis'') is a species of bird in the family Eurylaimidae where it was previously conspecific with the wattled broadbill. It is endemic to the islands of Samar, Leyte and Bohol in the central Philippine ...
. It It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the islands of
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
,
Basilan,
Dinagat and
Siargao in the Philippines. It is one of the most striking birds in the country with its sky-blue wattle and bill and yellow wing patch
Its natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s are
tropical moist lowland forest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Description
TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...
, tropical
mangrove forest
Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangroves cannot withstand fr ...
, and
tropical moist shrubland. It is threatened by
habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
.
Description and Taxonomy
Small, brightly coloured
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
of lowland and foothill forest on Mindanao and neighboring islands, with a pale blue bill and eye wattle, a black face, a streaked crown, a dark back with a white-and-yellow wingbar, a white collar, reddish rump and tail and stout appearance. Underparts are white in the female and pinkish in the male. Makes short sallies from a perched position to catch insects. Can be found in pairs, small groups, or sometimes mixed-species flocks. Unmistakable. Voice includes a plaintive whistle and a metallic “chink,” plus wing noise and bill clicks.
They are sexually dimorphic in which the males have reddish-pink bellies with the females having clean white bellies.
It is differentiated from the
Visayan broadbill
The Visayan broadbill (''Sarcophanops samarensis'') is a species of bird in the family Eurylaimidae where it was previously conspecific with the wattled broadbill. It is endemic to the islands of Samar, Leyte and Bohol in the central Philippine ...
with its white collar and bright yellow patch. It is also larger with sizes of 16–18 cm versus the 14–15 cm of the
Visayan broadbill
The Visayan broadbill (''Sarcophanops samarensis'') is a species of bird in the family Eurylaimidae where it was previously conspecific with the wattled broadbill. It is endemic to the islands of Samar, Leyte and Bohol in the central Philippine ...
Subspecies
Two
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognized:
* ''Sarcophanops steerii steerii:'' Central and Eastern
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
,
Siargao and
Dinagat Islands
Dinagat Islands (Cebuano language, Cebuano: ''Mga Pulo sa Dinagat''; Surigaonon language, Surigaonon: ''Mga Puyo nan Dinagat''; Kabalian language, Kabalian: ''Mga Puyo san Dinagat''; Waray language, Waray: ''Mga Purô han Dinagat''; Filipino lang ...
; Larger and darker red on males; No recent records on
Dinagat Islands
Dinagat Islands (Cebuano language, Cebuano: ''Mga Pulo sa Dinagat''; Surigaonon language, Surigaonon: ''Mga Puyo nan Dinagat''; Kabalian language, Kabalian: ''Mga Puyo san Dinagat''; Waray language, Waray: ''Mga Purô han Dinagat''; Filipino lang ...
* ''Sarcophanops steerii mayri'':
Zamboanga Peninsula and
Basilan; Smaller and paler red on the males; Possibly extinct on
Basilan
Habitat and Conservation Status
Its natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s are
tropical moist lowland primary forest and well developed
secondary forest
A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...
up to 750 meters above sea level. It appears to not be able to tolerate great amounts of forest degradation. It is known to forage in the lower levels of the forest in the
understory and close to the
forest floor.
IUCN has assessed this bird as
vulnerable with the population being estimated at 2,500 to 9,999. Extensive lowland deforestation on all islands in its range is the main threat. Most remaining lowland forest that is not afforded protection leaving it vulnerable to both legal and
Illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...
, conversion into farmlands through
Slash-and-burn and mining.
This occurs in a few protected areas such as
Mt. Apo,
Pasonanca Natural Park and
Siargao Island Protected Landscape however protection is lax.
Conservation actions proposed include to survey remaining habitat to establish its current distribution, population status and ecology. Propose sites supporting key populations for protection and ensure that proposed protected areas are gazetted and are actually protected.
References
External links
BirdLife Species Factsheet.
wattled broadbill
The wattled broadbill or Mindanao broadbill (''Sarcophanops steerii'') is a species of bird in the family Eurylaimidae where it was previously conspecific to the Visayan broadbill. It It is endemic to the islands of Mindanao, Basilan, Dinagat an ...
Endemic birds of the Philippines
Fauna of Mindanao
Fauna of Basilan
Fauna of Dinagat Islands
wattled broadbill
The wattled broadbill or Mindanao broadbill (''Sarcophanops steerii'') is a species of bird in the family Eurylaimidae where it was previously conspecific to the Visayan broadbill. It It is endemic to the islands of Mindanao, Basilan, Dinagat an ...
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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