The Common scimitarbill is a slender, shiny blue-black bird. It is recognized by its long, strongly curved bill, which it uses to search for insects in the bark of trees. The species is known for its distinctive three-tone call, expressed in English as "wheeep, wheeep, wheeep". The bird is usually seen alone or in pairs and lives in dry forest and deciduous forest. It is often seen climbing tree trunks and feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates, which it picks out of the bark. It nests in natural tree cavities or old nests of woodpeckers and barbets. The female lays 2–4 eggs, which she incubates alone for about 13–14 days. It often participates in mixed-species flocks and uses tree cavities to arrange its nest. The species is found over a large range in central and southern Africa.