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
Rio Branco Antbird
Cercomacra carbonaria
A slender, long-tailed bird of dense gallery forests and river islands in northern Brazil and extreme southwestern Guyana. Male is mostly black with tail feathers tipped white and with white scalloping on wings. Female is very different: brownish-gray above and buffy below, with a black tail and white throat streaked black. Like other Cercomacra, tends to stay concealed in dense vine tangles in the canopy and midstory, where it clambers slowly about, usually in pairs, searching for insects. Best detected by voice; two-noted song is given in series of 3–5 phrases, with hiccupping effect; similar to song of Gray Antbird but higher-pitched, faster, and less hoarse. Female is unlike any other species in range. Male is darker than Gray and Blackish antbirds, which do not occur in the same habitat and have different voices. Plumage recalls Dot-winged Antwren, but Rio Branco Antbird is considerably larger.
Galapagos Petrel
Pterodroma phaeopygia
Endangered seabird that nests only in Galápagos. Outside the breeding season, it disperses over the eastern Pacific and usually stays far from land. Note distinctive black-and-white pattern on underwing, mostly white underparts, and dark upperparts that extend down through its face to sides of neck; no other seabird found in and near Galápagos shares these features. When seen from above, it appears all dark except for some white around the base of the bill. Almost always encountered at sea, since it travels to and from its highland nesting sites only at night.
Tristram's Warbler
Curruca deserticola
Small, long-tailed Curruca warbler, very similar to Spectacled and Subalpine Warblers. Males are distinctive with very deep rusty underparts, a rusty throat (sometimes paler mid-throat), rusty wings, and a hint of pale buff moustache. Females are pale brown and less distinctive with normally rather warm-toned underparts. Breeds on mountain slopes covered in dense, low bushes, tamarisk scrub, and vegetated desert wadis; non-breeding habitat is sometimes lower in elevation, but typically similarly open and scrubby. Song a scratchy whistle. Call a low "trrrrr."
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.