African Broadbill (Smithornis capensis) [XC311682]
by Frank Lambert from Malawi - Luwawa Forest Lodge area, Mzimba, Northern Region, Malawi (song, display flight)
African Broadbill (Smithornis capensis) [XC745553]
by isaac kilusu from Mutinondo Wilderness area, Northern Province, Zambia (call)
Nest
Oval-shaped with a side entrance, composed of bark, twigs, dry leaves, grass and rootlets, bound together by spiders web, hanging from a low branch about 1.5 - 3 m above the ground.
Subspecies
Sometimes considered to form a superspecies with Rufous-sided Broadbill (Smithornis rufolateralis), but seems to be more closely related to Grey-headed Broadbill (Smithornis sharpei). Relationships of the various, scattered populations poorly understood, and taxonomy in need of review. Range limits of subspecies unclear in some areas, and apparent gaps in distribution, particularly through central forests, possibly due to lack of observation. Identification of Central African Republic birds as camarunensis remains tentative. Isolated populations in north-eastern Northern Province, South Africa, possibly represent an undescribed subspecies. In south-eastern Kenya, described subspecies chyulu (from Chyulu Hills) and shimba (Shimba Hills) considered synonymous with, respectively, medianus and suahelicus.
The following 9 subspecies are recognised:
delacouri Bannerman, 1923 - Sierra Leone, south-eastern Guinea and northern Liberia east to Togo.
camarunensis Sharpe, 1905 - South-eastern Nigeria, southern Cameroon, possibly Equatorial Guinea (Mbini), northern Gabon, north-western Congo and locally in southern and eastern Central African Republic.
albigularis Hartert, 1904 - Western and northern Angola; south-eastern Zaire and western (probably also central) Tanzania south to northern Zambia and northern Malawi.
meinertzhageni van Someren, 1919 - North-eastern Zaire, Rwanda, Uganda and western Kenya.
medianus Hartert & van Someren, 1916 - Central Kenya and north-eastern Tanzania.
suahelicus Grote, 1926 - South-eastern Kenya, eastern Tanzania and north-eastern Mozambique.
conjunctus Clancey, 1963 - North-eastern Namibia (Caprivi Strip), northern Botswana, southern Zambia, northern and western Zimbabwe and north-western Mozambique.
cryptoleucus Clancey, 1963 - South-western Tanzania, eastern Zimbabwe, southern Malawi, and central and southern Mozambique south to north-eastern South Africa (north-eastern northern Province, north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal) and eastern Swaziland.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet