Overview
The Black-and-red Broadbill (Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos) is universally acclaimed as one of the most vividly painted and charismatic riverine birds in the forests of Southeast Asia. Inhabiting the quiet jungle rivers, mangrove waterways, and oxbow lakes of the Sundaic region, this striking member of the broadbill family Eurylaimidae commands immediate attention with its deep burgundy-crimson chest, velvety blue-black mantle, and a massive, incandescent two-toned bill glowing in brilliant turquoise-blue and lemon-yellow. Perched in pairs along overhanging branches, it serves as a quintessential symbol of tropical river vitality.
Biology and Physical Characteristics
Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos is a robust, stocky bird measuring roughly 23 centimeters in length. Its defining morphological feature is its immense, broad, boat-shaped bill; the upper mandible glows an electric turquoise-cyan, while the lower mandible is a luminous buttercup-yellow, with cutting edges engineered to crush hard-shelled aquatic arthropods. The plumage presents rich contrasting tones: a velvety black head, mantle, and back slashed by a pristine white wing stripe, while the chin, throat, and entire underbelly glow in rich wine-red to deep scarlet-burgundy. Its eyes are an intense, glowing emerald-green.
Behavior and Ecology
Black-and-red broadbills are closely tied to water, almost never found more than a few hundred meters from a river, stream, or swamp. They hunt from low perches overlooking watercourses, scanning the surface for swimming river crabs, aquatic beetles, dragonfly nymphs, and small frogs, plunging downward in a rapid, swooping sally before returning to their perch to beat their prey against the wood. They are legendary architects: breeding pairs weave colossal, purse-shaped pendulous nests of tangled twigs, vines, and leaves up to three feet long, suspending them from thin branches hanging directly over open water to isolate eggs from terrestrial predators like monitor lizards and snakes.
Conservation and Human Impact
Classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to a wide distribution spanning Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei, the species remains relatively common in undisturbed watersheds. However, lowland riparian zones are often the first targeted for commercial oil palm expansion, dam impoundments, and river channel dredging. Protecting riverine forest buffer zones and maintaining continuous riparian vegetation corridors in managed landscapes are vital to preserving their breeding waterways.
Interesting Factoid
The Black-and-red Broadbill constructs an enormous woven purse nest that hangs directly over roaring river currents, disguising the nest with hanging debris and dead leaves so it looks like a pile of harmless flood drift caught in the branches.
Last updated: October 2026