Epimachus
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| Epimachus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Brown sicklebill, Epimachus meyeri | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Paradisaeidae |
| Genus: | Epimachus Cuvier, 1816 |
| Type species | |
| Upupa magna[1] = Promerops fastuosus Gmelin, 1788 | |
Epimachus is a genus of birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae) that includes two species, found in the highland forests of New Guinea. They are the largest members of the family. The common name "sicklebill" refers to their long, decurved, sickle-shaped bill.[2]
Sicklebills often associate with astrapias, which are superficially similar but have a short, straight bill and blunt-tipped tail, and the male's wings hiss in flight.[2]
The species in the genus Epimachus are often referred to as "long-tailed" sicklebills, when describing them collectively as a genus. The other sicklebills, genus Drepanornis, are referred to as the "short-tailed" sicklebills. Ironically, the two genera are not closely related. There may also be confusion with the birds of the same name that belong to the hummingbird family, found in the Americas.
Species
The genus Epimachus was introduced in 1816 by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier for the black sicklebill.[3][4] The genus name is from the Ancient Greek επιμαχος (epimakhos) meaning "equipped for battle" (from makhomai "to fight").[5]
In 1972, the genus was merged with the genus Drepanornis,[6] but separated again in 1998.[7] A phylogenetic study placed Epimachus in a clade that includes Paradigalla and Astrapia, implying that the long, curved bill has been acquired independently in Epimachus. According to the same study, the Drepanornis species are closely related to the Twelve-wired bird-of-paradise, Standardwing bird-of-paradise, superb birds-of-paradise, and the riflebirds.[8]
The two species of Drepanornis as well as the two species of Epimachus separated about 10 and 7 mya, respectively.[8] While the two species of Drepanornis occupy different elevations in low- and mid-montane forests, the two species of Epimachus are altitudinal replacements in mountain forests; these two cases could represent old cases of altitudinal speciation.[8]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
_-_Paradisaeidae_-_bird_skin_specimen.jpeg) | Black sicklebill | Epimachus fastosus | Found in the Vogelkop region, Wandammen Peninsula, and central New Guinea at elevations of 1500–2000 m. |
 | Brown sicklebill | Epimachus meyeri | Found across central New Guinea to the Bird's Tail region (Papuan Peninsula) to the southeast at elevations from 2000 to 3000 m. |
