Notes on the Behavior of the Costa Rican Sharpbill (Oxyruncus cristatus frater)

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Abstract
The Costa Rican Sharpbill (Oxyruncus cristatus frater) is a chunky bird of stolid demeanor, with rapid and jerky movements. Males apparently form exploded leks of 3-4 birds, advertising their lek territories by singing a high, thin, wiry, descending trill from conspicuous perches high in the canopy of precipitous, mid-elevation rain forest. The singing (and probable breeding) season extends from late February or March to late May or early June. The bright vermilion crest of the males is erected during intense aggressive interactions but not during singing. Probable courtship is described, but we were unable to observe copulation. We also describe a probable flight display of unknown significance. Sharpbills employ varied foraging tactics and take both fruit and animal prey. The sharp-pointed bill is used to pry open rolled leaves, undehisced fruits, and tufts of moss and epiphytes. The Sharpbills' bill and foraging appear to represent a unique specialization within the great tyrannine suboscine radiation of the New World tropics and a striking convergence with the family Icteridae in particular.

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