SHARPBILL

(Oxyruncus cristatus), bird of rain forests in scattered localities from Costa Rica southward to Paraguay. It is usually considered the sole member of the family Oxyruncidae (order Passeriformes), which is closely related to the tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae). The sharpbill is a 16-centimetre- (6.5-inch-) long bird with short legs, longish wings and tail, and sharply pointed bill. It is plain greenish brown above and pale yellowish to white below, with dark spots and bars; the midcrown has a low crest of red feathers. The elongated nostrils are covered with a flap, as in the tapaculos. Its sharp bill probes the bark of trees. Heliobletus contaminatus, of the ovenbird family (Furnariidae), is also called sharpbill, or sharp-billed tree hunter. Inhabiting east-central South America, it creeps over tree trunks in search of insects.