Sharpbill

Overview

The sharpbill is a small passerine bird that belongs to its own family, Oxyruncidae. Its range spans the mountainous regions of tropical South America and southern Central America, including Panama and Costa Rica.

Identification

• Has a straight, pointed beak which gives the species its common name.
• Features an orange erectile crest.
• Displays black-spotted yellowish underparts and scaling on the head and neck.

Habitat

It inhabits the canopy of wet forests and is most commonly found in tall, dense forests, though it occasionally ventures to the forest edge. Its range extends from the mountainous areas of tropical South America to southern Central America.

Diet

The sharpbill feeds primarily on fruit but also consumes invertebrates. It will hang upside down from twigs to obtain insect larvae and travels in mixed-species feeding flocks with ovenbirds, tanagers, woodpeckers, and cotingas.

Did you know?

The breeding system of this species is polygamous, with closely grouped males displaying in from a lek.