Common Scimitarbill

SCI Name:  Rhinopomastus cyanomelas
Protonym:  Falcinellus cyanomelas Nouv.Dict.Hist.Nat. 28 p.165
Taxonomy:  Bucerotiformes / Phoeniculidae / Rhinopomastus
Taxonomy Code:  cosbil1
Type Locality:  Namaqualand.
Author:  Vieillot
Publish Year:  1819
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

RHINOPOMASTUS
(Phoeniculidae; Ϯ Common Scimitarbill R. cyanomelas) Gr. ῥις rhis, ῥινος rhinos  nostrils; πωμα pōma, πωματος pōmatos  lid, cover; "It must be placed among the Promeropidæ, and would formerly have made part of the Promerops of Brisson; differing essentially, however, in the curious and I believe peculiar structure of the nostrils, which, in addition to the usual membrane that covers those of a similar formation, are again protected by an incumbent scale, or operculum, which nearly conceals the opening.   ...   Genus RHINOPOMASTUS, Smith.   ...   Typus genericus. Rhinopomastus Smithii, mihi." (Jardine 1828); "Rhinopomastus Jardine, Zool. Journ., 4, 1828, p. 1, 2, pl. 1. Type, by original designation and monotypy, Rhinopomastus smithii Jardine = Falcinellus cyanomelas Vieillot." (Peters 1945, V, 253).
Var. Rhinopomaster, Rhinopomastes.
Syn. Iridoptilus, Rhynopomastris, Scoptelus.

cyanomelaena / cyanomelana / cyanomelas
Gr. κυανος kuanos  dark-blue; μελας melas, μελανος melanos, μελαινα melaina  dark, black.
● ex “Urraca morada” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 54 (Cyanocorax).
● ex “Fringilla caerulea, mento, gula, etc. nigris” of Koelreuter 1767 (syn. Dacnis cayana).
● ex “Promérops Namaquois” of Levaillant 1807, pl. 5 (Rhinopomastus).
● ex “Gobe Mouches Mantelé” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 151 (Trochocercus).
● ex “Black and Blue Hummingbird” of Bancroft 1769, and “Crimson-headed Blue Humming-bird” of Latham 1782 (unident.).

SUBSPECIES

Common Scimitarbill (cyanomelas)
SCI Name: Rhinopomastus cyanomelas cyanomelas
cyanomelaena / cyanomelana / cyanomelas
Gr. κυανος kuanos  dark-blue; μελας melas, μελανος melanos, μελαινα melaina  dark, black.
● ex “Urraca morada” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 54 (Cyanocorax).
● ex “Fringilla caerulea, mento, gula, etc. nigris” of Koelreuter 1767 (syn. Dacnis cayana).
● ex “Promérops Namaquois” of Levaillant 1807, pl. 5 (Rhinopomastus).
● ex “Gobe Mouches Mantelé” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 151 (Trochocercus).
● ex “Black and Blue Hummingbird” of Bancroft 1769, and “Crimson-headed Blue Humming-bird” of Latham 1782 (unident.).

Common Scimitarbill (schalowi)
SCI Name: Rhinopomastus cyanomelas schalowi
schalowi / schalowiana
Hermann Schalow (1852-1925) German banker, ornithologist (syn. Ifrita kowaldi, syn. Lanius excubitoroides boehmi, syn. Lanius schach nasutus, subsp. Oenanthe lugens, subsp. Rhinopomastus cyanomelas, Tauraco, subsp. Treron calvus).