Common Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas) [XC347037]
by Peter Boesman from Mahango Game reserve, Namibia (song)
Common Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas) [XC456573]
by Dawie de Swardt from Karee Kloof Private Nature Reserve, Free State, South Africa (begging call, call)
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Black Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus aterrimus) and are sometimes considered conspecific. Differences suggest they are probably better treated as separate species.
Birds from Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and eastern South Africa (Transvaal, Zululand), described as intermedius, now regarded as inseparable from schalowi.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
schalowi Neumann, 1900 - Western Uganda, western and central Kenya and southern Somalia south to Zambia and western Natal.
cyanomelas (Vieillot, 1819) - South-western Angola and Namibia east to Transvaal.