Boatbills

The genus Machaerirhynchus, commonly known as boatbills, is a small group of passerine birds related to woodswallows and butcherbirds, consisting of two species. These include the Black-breasted boatbill (M. nigripectus), which resides in New Guinea, and the Yellow-breasted boatbill (M. flaviventer), found in northeast Australia. Both species share a distribution range that spans from New Guinea to northern Queensland, showcasing similar ecological preferences within their respective habitats.

Species Categories

Accentors African & Green Broadbills Albatrosses Alcippe Fulvettas Anhingas, Darters Asian Barbets Auks Austral Storm Petrels Australasian Babblers Australasian Robins Australasian Warblers Australasian Wrens Australo-Papuan Bellbirds Babblers, Scimitar Babblers Barn Owls Bee-eaters Birds-of-paradise Boatbills Bristlehead Bulbuls Buntings Bushtits Bustards Buttonquail Caracaras, Falcons Cassowaries, Emu Cettia Bush Warblers & Allies Chats, Old World Flycatchers Cisticolas & Allies Cockatoos Cormorants, Shags Coursers, Pratincoles Crab-plover Cranes Crombecs, African Warblers Crows, Jays Cuckoos Cuckooshrikes Cupwings Dippers Drongos Ducks, Geese, Swans Elachura Fairy Flycatchers Fairy-bluebirds Fantails Figbirds, Orioles, Turnagra Finches, Euphonias Finfoots Flamingos Flowerpeckers Flufftails Frigatebirds Frogmouths Gannets, Boobies Goldcrests, Kinglets Grassbirds & Allies Grebes Ground Babblers Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Herons, Bitterns Honeyeaters Honeyguides Hoopoes Hornbills Hylocitrea Ibisbill Ibises, Spoonbills Ifrit Indigobirds, Whydahs Ioras Jacanas Jewel-babblers, Quail-thrushes Kingfishers Kites, Hawks, Eagles Larks Laughingthrushes & Allies Leaf Warblers & Allies Leafbirds Longspurs, Snow Buntings Magpie Goose Megapodes Melampittas Monarchs Mottled Berryhunter Nightjars Northern Storm Petrels Nuthatches Old World Parrots Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches Ospreys Owls Oystercatchers Painted-snipes Parrotbills & Allies Pelicans Penduline Tits Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels Pheasants & Allies Pigeons, Doves Pittas Ploughbill Plovers Rail-babbler Rails, Crakes & Coots Reed Warblers & Allies Rollers Sandpipers, Snipes Shrikes Sittellas Skuas Starlings, Rhabdornis Stilts, Avocets Stone-curlews, Thick-knees Storks Sunbirds Swallows, Martins Swifts Sylviid Babblers Thrushes Tits, Chickadees Treecreepers Treeswifts Trogons Tropicbirds Typical Broadbills Vangas & Allies Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblers Wagtails, Pipits Wallcreeper Waxbills, Munias & Allies Waxwings Weavers, Widowbirds Whipbirds Whistlers & Allies White-eyes Woodpeckers Woodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies Wrens Jayshrike

Birda Blog

A passionate photographer is outdoors, equipped with a top-notch camera for bird photography.

14 best cameras for bird photography

August 9, 2022

John White

A woman in a jacket birdwatching out in nature, looking at her phone and considering the best birding app.

11 of the best birdwatching apps in the UK

August 8, 2022

John White

A large flock of Red-necked Stints, a great bird to look for when learning how to start birdwatching.

How to start birdwatching – a helpful guide for beginners

January 18, 2022

John White

People looking at a sunset in a Top 10 Birdwatching Park in the US

The top 10 birdwatching parks in the USA

December 7, 2022

Sarah Cunningham

The Best US States For Birdwatching - map of USA with state names

The best US states for bird watching, a helpful illustrated guide

January 17, 2022

John White

Three people walking in nature in a highland, birdwatching and using one of the best free birdwatching apps

What are the best free birdwatching apps?

March 28, 2023

Will Hall

Children are outdoors, enthusiastically observing and admiring birds in their natural habitat.

12 of the best birdwatching apps in the USA

February 9, 2023

Sarah Cunningham

8x vs 10 x binoculars - person holding their pair in hand

Binoculars for birdwatching 8x vs 10x magnification

What Our Birders Say

EandB17

Terrific App for Birders

Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!

Safira V

Birding and wellbeing app

Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.

Carrie

Makes you want to spot birds more

I think this app is fun. It makes you want to spot birds more so I guess in a way it encourages you to get out and about instead of sitting in front of the TV.

Leonie

We've been waiting for an App like this

Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!

Foxgirl100

Great app for beginner twitchers

I’ve had a passion of photographing birds for a long time now but have only just gotten into proper birdwatching, and this app is brilliant for those just getting started. There is a great sense of community among users and the app is very easy to use and professional. Awesome app altogether

Patricia L

Very encouraging birding app

Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.

Viperray5

Loving it

I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.

Emcil24

A Friendly Place

I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.

Nick S

Work together with community

Been loving using this app to log my bird sightings and work together with community members to identify different birds. I've already learned a lot since I started about a month ago!

Dan R