The black-and-red broadbill (Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos) is a fascinating bird species that is native to Borneo, Myanmar, southern Thailand, southern Laos, southern Vietnam, peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra in Indonesia. These birds have distinctive plumage that makes them easily recognizable. They wear midnight black with long white slashes on each wing, wine-red underparts, and a black chinstrap. Additionally, they have greenish-black upperparts, with a maroon half-collar and bright maroon rumps and uppertail coverts. Moreover, the scapulars have pure white edges, forming a white line on the closed wing, while the tail is black, with variable amounts of white. The bill is dichromatic, with a bright turquoise-blue maxilla, and a yellow-orange mandible with a blue tip and edges. The irises are bright emerald green.
Juveniles, on the other hand, have much duller plumage, with sooty brown upperparts, maroon patches on the rump and upper tail coverts, brown underparts, and wings. They also have blackish to brownish-blue bills and bronze irises.
Black-and-red broadbills are typically found in tropical and subtropical moist lowland forests and in tropical and subtropical mangrove forests, always near water. They feed mostly on insects, but also mollusks, crabs, and small fish.
During breeding season, which is from March to June, both sexes of the black-and-red broadbill take part in building the nest, a bulky, untidy ball hanging from the tip of a dead branch or stick about 1-2 m above the water’s surface. The female lays 2-3 eggs within, which are incubated by both parents for 21 days. The chicks are fed by both parents until fledging which takes place 17 days after hatching.
Despite being uncommon to locally common over its very large breeding range, the black-and-red broadbill is still judged as of Least Concern on the IUCN list. You can even watch this amazing bird in action on the video below:
