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

David C

Very knowledgeable group

Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.

Patricia L

Very encouraging birding app

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

Dunners12345

Great App

Great app to use for logging and communicating with others who are interested in birds

Pdydhdrexgi

Fantastic App

This is a really lovely app, for everyone interested in birds - from newbies to old hands. There is a very friendly feel to the community and you will genuinely learn a lot as you record your sightings and photos. There are lots of badges and competitions to keep you engaged, and a host of really useful features.

Tralisalandhoop

Fantastic app - Love it!

Love this app and have used it almost daily. Lots of species information and easy to use. Love seeing birds spotted by other users in the UK and worldwide.

Anonymous

The best bird logging app

Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!

778

Great bird recording

For a while I’ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!

Jake W

Great app

I use this app all the time as it’s quick and easy to log individual sightings or whole birding sessions. It’s an excellent way to meet new people and the forum is full of really friendly people. The challenges are a great way to get involved and learn more about birds. Cannot recommend it enough!

Alice J

Awesome Birding Community

I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!

Carl B

Helped me to identify more birds

Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.

As featured in