Shrikebill


The shrikebills are the monarch flycatcher genus Clytorhynchus. The five species have long laterally compressed bills similar to true shrikes that give them their names. The genus is endemic to the islands of Melanesia and western Polynesia.
The shrikebills are insectivorous, and use their large heavy bills to explore tangles of dead leaves and dead wood; an unusual foraging strategy for their family. Their diet may also include small fruits and lizards.

Taxonomy and systematics

Extant species

The genus Clytorhynchus contains the following species:
ImageCommon nameScientific nameDistribution
Southern shrikebillClytorhynchus pachycephaloidesNew Caledonia and Vanuatu.
Fiji shrikebillClytorhynchus vitiensisAmerican Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga.
Black-throated shrikebillClytorhynchus nigrogularisFiji and Solomon Islands.
Santa Cruz shrikebillClytorhynchus sanctaecrucisSolomon Islands.
Rennell shrikebillClytorhynchus hamliniRennell Island in the Solomon Islands. I

Former species

Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species as species within the genus Clytorhynchus: