Eurylaimus javanicus
The Banded Broadbill, *Eurylaimus javanicus*, is a striking passerine bird, renowned for its vivid plumage and uniquely broad, brightly colored bill. Measuring approximately 21.5 to 23 cm in length and weighing 60-70 grams, adults showcase a rich purple-pink to reddish-purple on the head, neck, and underparts, contrasting sharply with a black mantle. Its wings are black with distinctive yellow and white barring, and a prominent black breast band often separates the purplish throat from the be...
This broadbill inhabits primary and secondary lowland rainforests, favoring areas near water, bamboo thickets, and forest edges, typically at elevations below 700 meters but occasionally up to 1100 meters.
Their diet consists mainly of insects, including grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, and caterpillars, supplemented by spiders, snails, small lizards, and occasionally fruit, caught through sallying or gleaning.
Banded Broadbills are primarily arboreal and diurnal, often observed singly or in pairs, although they may join mixed-species foraging flocks. They are sit-and-wait predators, typically perching upright on a branch before making swift aerial sallies to capture flying insects or gleaning prey from...
The Banded Broadbill is a resident species distributed across mainland Southeast Asia and parts of the Greater Sunda Islands. Its extensive breeding range spans from southern Myanmar, through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, south into Peninsular Malaysia. It is also found on the islands of...
Least Concern
- The Banded Broadbill's bill is so unusually wide and flattened that it resembles a small spatula, perfectly adapted for snatching insects in flight. - Their elaborate, pear-shaped nests are architectural marvels, often decorated with moss, lichen, and spider webs, making them blend seamlessly w...