Plum-throated Cotinga
Cotinga maynana
Bright blue cotinga of lowland rainforest. Males are pure sky blue, with a purple throat and light eye; females are buffy tan with faint scalloping. Perches in the forest canopy, and it can sometimes be easier to find them when you have a clear view of the canopy, like from a canopy tower, around the edges of a forest clearing, or from a bluff overlooking the canopy. Males are distinguished from the similar Spangled Cotinga by deeper blue plumages, lack of fine dark head streaking, and light yellow eye; females warmer brown than female Spangled Cotinga, which are a colder gray, and often have a pale eye like the male.
Taxonomy
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the plum-throated cotinga in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Maynas Province, Peru. He used the French name Le cotinga des Mayas and the Latin Cotinga Maynanensis. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the plum-throated cotinga. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Ampelis maynana and cited Brisson's work. This species is now placed in the genus Cotinga that was introduced by Brisson in 1760. The plum-throated cotinga is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Cotinga maynana
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cotingidae
- Genus
- Cotinga
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Large, distinctive bunting. Males have a boldly black-striped gray head and breast, chestnut underparts, and streaked upperparts. Females and juveniles similar to males, just more subdued. Breeds on rocky slopes just above the treeline, preferring bushy areas with scattered trees. Feeds on seeds and invertebrates. Unobtrusive, although not particularly shy. Clear, high-pitched song draws attention to its presence.
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