Purple-throated Cotinga
A species of Purple-throated Cotinga Scientific name : Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema Genus : Purple-throated Cotinga
Purple-throated Cotinga, A species of Purple-throated Cotinga
Botanical name: Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema
Genus: Purple-throated Cotinga
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Steve McInnis
Description
The purple-throated cotinga is strongly sexually dimorphic as male and female purple-throated cotingas have few similarities in their plumage. The male has black upperparts, including the head, wings, and tail. The feathers on the bird's back to its uppertail coverts, as well as its upperwing coverts, have white fringes. There is also a conspicuous white wingstripe and white edges to the tertial feathers. Additionally the male has a deeply purple throat and a white belly, with some black barring on its rear flanks. In contrast, the female purple-throated cotinga is a dark brown with pale buffy margins on the upperparts. The underparts are a buffy cinnamon with black barring. The throat is a deeper, unbarred rufous in coloration. The female's tail feathers are longer and more pointed at the tip than those of the male. The juvenile purple-throated cotinga resembles a paler, buffier female; the plumage of the immature is undescribed. The adult purple-throated cotinga is about 18.0 to 18.5 cm (7.1 to 7.3 in) in length and weighs an average of 49 to 60 g (1.7 to 2.1 oz). The cotinga has a very wide bill with a strongly arched culmen and weakly developed rictal bristles. The bird's iris is dark brown, while the bill and legs are black. This species has a powerful if infrequently-used voice, unlike the structurally-similar Cotinga species, which are mostly silent. The male's call is a high, plaintive "preeeeeer" that lasts for one or two seconds while dropping in pitch and is regularly repeated from a treetop perch.
Size
19 cm
Feeding Habits
Purple-throated Cotinga's diet primarily consists of forest tree fruits, like Cecropia, and typically feeds by perching and leaning down to pluck them. Usually seen foraging in pairs.
Habitat
The purple-throated Cotinga is typically found in humid forest environments within tropical regions. This species favors dense canopy coverage, thriving in areas characterized by high humidity and ample vegetation, which provides both food sources and nesting grounds necessary for their survival.
Dite type
Frugivorous
General Info
Behavior
The purple-throated cotinga feeds primarily on the fruits of forest trees, most notably those belonging to the genus Cecropia. It also occasionally consumes small invertebrates, such as insects. All reported observations of the species feeding involve the cotinga leaning down from its perch to pluck fruit off a tree in the forest canopy. These birds are distinct from similar species in that they are often seen in pairs. This species perches in the canopy to take in the morning sun. A solitary male purple-throated cotinga attracts a female by perching above the canopy and letting the sun highlight its iridescent plumage. The breeding behavior of this species is largely unknown, but the range in molting times implies that this species may breed year-round.
Distribution Area
The purple-throated cotinga is found from southern Colombia south through eastern Ecuador and Peru to the Madre de Dios region and east through extreme northwestern Bolivia and into western Amazonian Brazil. The eastern boundary of the species appears to be the lower Rio Negro and northern Mato Grosso in Brazil. The purple-throated cotinga's total range covers approximately 2,190,000 km (850,000 sq mi), throughout which it occurs in patches at low population densities. The cotinga can be found in the canopy or borders of humid forest up to 900 m (3,000 ft) in elevation, but mostly is restricted to humid forests below 400 m (1,300 ft). It can be found in either unflooded humid forests or in várzea forests, which are seasonally flooded. It is non-migratory.
Species Status
The purple-throated cotinga is not well known and appears to be naturally uncommon or rare across a widespread area; however, it is almost certainly under-reported due to its canopy lifestyle. The IUCN considers this species to be a species of Least Concern due in part to its large range. While the IUCN has not estimated the population size, it believes it is declining due to habitat loss.
Photo By Steve McInnis
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Cotingas Genus
Purple-throated Cotinga Species
Purple-throated Cotinga