Orange-breasted Fruiteater
Pipreola jucunda
Plump, colorful bird of cloud forest in the western Andes. Male’s orange breast and black head make him easy to recognize. Female’s ID is more challenging: black feet and pale eyes separate her from female Green-and-black Fruiteater, and unstreaked chin from female Golden-breasted Fruiteater. Plucks berries at mid-levels in the forest; often found in pairs. Gives very high-pitched whistles, some very short and others long and drawn out.
Identification
The male orange-breasted fruiteater has a glossy black head and throat and green upper parts. The breast is bright orange and the belly yellow with green mottling at the side. The female is similar in appearance to the female masked fruiteater with green upper parts and green and yellow streaked underparts. Both sexes have yellow eyes, orange bill and greyish-green legs. This bird grows to a length of about 18 centimetres (7 in). The song is similar to that of the black-chested fruiteater, a high-pitched ascending "pseeeeeweet".
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pipreola jucunda
- Authority
- Sclater, PL, 1860
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cotingidae
- Genus
- Pipreola
Range and habitat
This species is native to the foothills and slopes of the western side of the Andes in South America. Its range extends from southwestern Colombia to southwestern Ecuador, mainly between the altitudes of 600 and 1,900 metres (2,000 and 6,200 ft) above sea level. This fruiteater is usually found in the understorey of dense, wet, mossy forests.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The orange-breasted fruiteater is sometimes seen in small flocks with other species. It feeds largely on fruit which it either eats while perching on a branch or while hovering rather clumsily. Cup-shaped nests have been found about 5 metres (16 ft) above the ground but little is known of this bird's breeding habits.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Lewin's Honeyeater
Meliphaga lewinii
A medium-sized olive-gray honeyeater with a pale yellow cheek patch and a relatively stout bill. Cheek patch is often a crescent compared to the circular patch on Graceful Honeyeater and the oval path on Yellow-spotted Honeyeater. Adults have a bluish eye, while the similar Graceful Honeyeater has a blue-gray eye and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater has a brown eye. Listen for the rapid staccato machine-gun call of Lewin’s compared to the loud repeated whistles of the Yellow-spotted Honeyeater and the more simple, single note call of Graceful Honeyeater. Of the three easily confusable species, this is the only one found away from the tropics; it occurs in wetter forests and gardens all along the eastern coast of Australia.
Bicolored Flowerpecker
Dicaeum bicolor
A tiny bird of lowland and foothill forest and edge. Male has black upperparts with a bluish sheen and whitish underparts washed pale gray on the sides. Female has whitish underparts, brown upperparts, more olive in the wing, and gray on the head. Similar to Flame-crowned Flowerpecker, but male lacks the bright crown patch and female has a whitish rather than yellowish belly. Differs from White-bellied Flowerpecker in its thicker bill. Voice includes a grating “juk!” and a high-pitched metallic “chink!”
Brown-backed Scrub-Robin
Cercotrichas hartlaubi
Pretty robin with a dark brown back, a boldly marked face, and an unstreaked gray chest. Found in broadleaf woodland, moist savanna, and lush cultivation. Shy bird that generally skulks in thick undergrowth except when perched up to sing. Song is a variable, musical series of whistles. Similar to Red-backed Scrub-Robin, but has two clean white wingbars, a darker brown back and crown, and a wider and bolder black band across the tail.
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