Black-bellied Cuckoo
A species of Squirrel and Black-bellied Cuckoos Scientific name : Piaya melanogaster Genus : Squirrel and Black-bellied Cuckoos
Black-bellied Cuckoo, A species of Squirrel and Black-bellied Cuckoos
Botanical name: Piaya melanogaster
Genus: Squirrel and Black-bellied Cuckoos
Content
Description General Info
Description
The average height of adults is between 38 and 40.5 cm. The beak is of an intense purple/red color, the iris is dark red with a blue orbital skin and one yellow mole at the anterior side of each eye. The head is grey and contrasts with the ruffle dorsal section of the bird. The throat and chest are brown-reddish, cinnamon color and the belly and crissum (the undertail coverts surrounding the cloaca) section are black. The tail is black with conspicuous wide white stripes. The juveniles do not differ from adults. P. melanogaster is better known because of the intense and some dark colors in the facial section and because of the grey crown. P. melanogaster is often confused with the squirrel cuckoo (Piaya cayana) because both species share the same habitat. The squirrel cuckoo is more frequently observed in the canopy. They differ because P. cayana is seen more frequently in the canopy forest of firm land; also because the squirrel cuckoo has exposed yellow-greenish skin in the orbital area, the chest plumage is grey and it lacks the characteristic hood of the black-bellied cuckoo. 
Size
38 cm
Feeding Habits
Black-bellied Cuckoo preys on large insects, like beetles and grasshoppers, including caterpillars with protective hairs. It forages in the forest canopy and can also capture small vertebrates like lizards, demonstrating powerful predatory ability.
Habitat
The black-bellied Cuckoo typically inhabits tropical lowland evergreen forests up to elevations of 800 meters, predominantly residing in the upper canopy levels. These birds prefer humid terra firme forests and may occasionally be found in shrubby growth areas away from dense forests, as well as in wooded savannas. However, black-bellied Cuckoo tend to avoid the coastal regions and do not usually frequent open areas. It is of note that black-bellied Cuckoo is facing habitat loss, with a significant percentage of its suitable habitat within its range being diminished over the course of thirteen years.
Dite type
Omnivorous
General Info
Behavior
P. melanogaster prefers forest canopies but can be seen in tall shrubs, climbing through vine, jumping between branches or running between them to fly in open spaces of the forest; their wing beats are slow and shallow. Individuals are usually by themselves or with their couple.
Distribution Area
P. melanogaster is an infrequent species with an Amazonian distribution; it can be found in the upper parts of tropical rainforests and occasionally in savanna forests. Its preferred altitude is up to 800 meters above sea level. Is a native species of southern and eastern Guyana, Surinam, French Guyana, eastern Venezuela, Northern Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, eastern Perú and Brazil. Its distribution occupies 4 840 000 square kilometers approximately. It is not a migratory bird, it is a permanent resident of its range. In Guyana, the black-bellied cuckoo can be found in Kanashen community, COCA. In Bolivia it can be found in the department of La Paz. In Colombia it is found from the south of La Meta, northwest of Guainía and southern Vaupés (eastern Andes section) and below 500 meters above the sea level. In Ecuador it is found below 400 meter above sea level, is not a frequently seen species and is local in forest canopy of firm land in the eastern lowlands. In Brasil this cuckoo is found in the Alta Floresta region at the north of Mato Grosso, in southeastern Amazonia.
Species Status
This species has a wide distribution range, it is not inside the Vulnerable status because it doesn't match its criteria (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size of P. melanogaster has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). Until 1994 P. melanogaster was in the Lower Risk/ Least Concern (LR/LC) category, nowadays it is in the Least Concern (LC) category.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Cuckoos and Relatives Family
Cuckoos Species
Black-bellied Cuckoo 
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