Epimachus

For other uses, see Epimachus (disambiguation).

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]

Epimachus
Brown sicklebill, Epimachus meyeri
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Paradisaeidae
Genus:	Epimachus Cuvier, 1816
Type species
Upupa magna[1] = Promerops fastuosus Gmelin, 1788

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.

Taxonomy

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]

Species

Image	Common Name	Scientific name	Distribution
	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.

Description

Both species of Epimachus are sexually dimorphic. The males of these birds are highly eccentric, with hyperbolically long, saber-like, black tails that reach around 18 inches (46 cm) alone. They also feature two pectoral fan-like plumes on each side of the breast,^[7] which they bring up over their heads during their displays.

There is extensive green/purple iridescent highlights found on the head and back of the adult male;^[2][7] additionally, blue gloss is present on the tail. The females of both species both have barred underparts, olive-brown upperparts and relatively long tails, though not as extensive as the males' tails.

Distribution and habitat

Sicklebills are endemic to New Guinea, sympathetically inhabiting areas of montane rainforest and cloud forest along the central mountainous axis of the island.

Brown sicklebills are more common,^[9] inhabiting mid and upper-mountain forests,^[10] including mossy cloud forest, above the elevations of other sicklebills. Black sicklebills are more rare and inhabit the transition from mid-mountain to cloud forest, occasionally forest edges.^[2][11]

References

1. "Paradisaeidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
2. Pratt, Thane K. (26 October 2014). Birds of New Guinea. Beehler, Bruce McP,, Bishop, K. David,, Coates, Brian J.,, Diamond, Jared M.,, Lecroy, Mary,, Anderton, John (Second ed.). Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 978-1-4008-6511-6. OCLC 894139572.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
3. Cuvier, Georges (1817). Le Règne animal distribué d'après son organisation : pour servir de base a l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction a l'anatomie comparée (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Déterville. p. 407. The volume has the year 1817 printed on the title page but was published in 1816. See: Dickinson, E.C.; Overstreet, L.K.; Dowsett, R.J.; Bruce, M.D. (2011). Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: a Directory to the literature and its reviewers. Northampton, UK: Aves Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-9568611-1-5.
4. Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1962). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 15. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 190.
5. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
6. Diamon, Jared M. (1972). Avifauna of the eastern highlands of new guinea. [Place of publication not identified]: Harvard Univ Nuttall Orni. ISBN 1-877973-22-X. OCLC 948758073.
7. Frith, Clifford B.; Beehler, Bruce M. (1998). Birds of Paradise. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198548539.
8. Irestedt, Martin; Jønsson, Knud A.; Fjeldså, Jon; Christidis, Les; Ericson, Per GP (2009-09-16). "An unexpectedly long history of sexual selection in birds-of-paradise". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 9 (1): 235. Bibcode:2009BMCEE...9..235I. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-9-235. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 2755009. PMID 19758445.
9. Gregory, Phil (2020). Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 248. ISBN 9781472975843.
10. "Black Sicklebill". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
11. "Black Sicklebill". The Australian Museum. 4 August 2019. ABN 85 407 224 698. Retrieved 21 September 2020.