Golden-breasted Fruiteater
Pipreola aureopectus
Chubby, medium-sized bird with green and yellow body, short tail, orange eyes, and small orange bill. Male has black lores and chin, bright yellow throat and chest, and yellow belly with green streaks; female lacks black face and has yellowish underparts with green streaks. Often follows mixed-species flocks or perches quietly in the middle to high levels of the forest. Fairly common in forested habitats from foothills to highlands. Very vocal; listen for a very high-pitched song that starts out descending and then ascends and stops suddenly: “pseEEEeeeeeeeeaaaeeeeEET.” Female distinguished from Handsome Fruiteater by green streaks (not bars) on underparts.
Identification
The adult golden-breasted fruiteater is about 17 cm (6.7 in) in length. The male has dark areas on the chin and lores, but otherwise the upper parts are green. The tertial wing feathers have pale tips. The throat and upper chest are bright yellow and the belly is lemon yellow with green streaks on the flanks. The female is bright green above, with pale tertials, and yellow, heavily streaked with green below. The eyes are yellow, the beak orange and the legs greyish-green. The voice is a high-pitched, multi-syllable phrase that first rises and then falls and lasts for up to three seconds.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pipreola aureopectus
- Authority
- (Lafresnaye, 1843)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cotingidae
- Genus
- Pipreola
Range and habitat
This species is found in mountainous regions of northeastern Colombia and northern Venezuela on the east side of the Andes. A separate population is known from the west slope of the mountain range in western Colombia. It lives in lower and medium-level montane forests, mostly at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,300 m (3,300 and 7,500 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The golden-breasted fruiteater feeds only on fruit as far as is known. It is sometimes seen in small groups of mixed species but otherwise moves around singly or in pairs. Little is known of its breeding habits, but birds in breeding condition have been seen between January and June and also in September.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Dysithamnus stictothorax
Big-headed chunky antbird with a heavy and slightly hooked bill and shortish tail. Found in the lower and middle levels of forests and forest edges. Males have a gray head and and a white spotted face and are olive-brown above and yellowish below.They have dark spots on the throat, and white spots on the wings coverts. Females have a rufous crown and less distinct spots on the wings coverts. The song is a melodious series of ascending and descending notes.
Black-crested Tit-Tyrant
Anairetes nigrocristatus
Beautiful little flycatcher with a spiky crest found in the Andes of northern Peru, just barely reaching over the border into southern Ecuador. Male is quite distinctive with a solid black face, black-and-white streaking, and a long crest that sticks up in front of its white crown. Female and immature are grayer with less contrasting plumage and shorter crest; the orange bill might lead to confusion with Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, but Black-crested lacks brown on the back and yellow on the belly. Very similar to Pied-crested Tit-Tyrant, but Black-crested has broader white tips to the tail; also note its more northern range. Inhabits scrub and light woodland, often giving squeaks and rapid trills.
Santa Marta Screech-Owl
Megascops gilesi
Small owl restricted to cloud forest in Colombia’s Santa Marta Mountains. Plumage is almost identical to that of Tropical Screech-Owl, with which it was confused until differences in voice were noted. Color is variable and ranges from dull brown to rusty. Typical song is a rapid series of soft notes that rises and then falls in pitch; it is much longer and steadier than the song of Tropical Screech-Owl, which is found in lower and drier parts of the mountains. Regularly encountered in and around El Dorado Nature Reserve.
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