Scarlet-breasted Fruiteater
Pipreola frontalis
Plump, colorful bird of cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes. Plumage is mostly green and yellow, and male has a red throat and breast. Female may have a yellow or orange chin patch, but this feature is often absent on Ecuadorian birds. Female is similar to female Fiery-throated Fruiteater but larger and with an orange (not black) bill. Plucks berries at mid-levels in the forest, and often found in pairs. Gives high-pitched chips and whistles, sometimes followed by a trill.
Identification
Like all Pipreola fruiteaters, the scarlet-breasted fruiteater is a plump, short-tailed cotinga. It is relatively small for a fruiteater, measuring 15.5–16.5 cm (6.1–6.5 in) in length; its mass ranges from 39.5 to 45.3 g (1.39 to 1.60 oz), with an average of 42.4 g (1.50 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic; the male is considerably more colorful than the female. Both sexes have bright green upperparts, with narrow yellow tips to the tertial feathers. The male's throat and upper breast are bright red (less extensively colored in P. f. squamipectus than in P. f. frontalis), while the female's underparts are yellow with green scaling or spots. Its legs and feet are pink or orange.
Taxonomy
First described by British ornithologist Philip Sclater in 1858, the scarlet-breasted fruiteater is one of eleven species in the genus Pipreola. Its holotype is held at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, in Philadelphia. The species is closely related to the fiery-throated fruiteater, but is found at higher elevations. There are two subspecies, which some taxonomists think represent two distinct species.<p>The genus name given to the fruiteaters, Pipreola, is a diminutive of Pipra, which is the genus name Carl Linnaeus gave to the similarly shaped manakins. The specific name frontalis is a Modern Latin word meaning "fronted" or "browed".
- Scientific name
- Pipreola frontalis
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL, 1859)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cotingidae
- Genus
- Pipreola
Range and habitat
The scarlet-breasted fruiteater is restricted to the eastern slope of the Andes from northeastern Ecuador through eastern Peru to central Bolivia. It is found in montane forests at elevations ranging from 900–2,000 m (3,000–6,600 ft) above sea level.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The scarlet-breasted fruiteater is arboreal and often occurs higher up, from mid-levels to sub-canopy, than many other members of its genus. Like other fruiteaters, it tends to be rather lethargic.<p>As its name suggests, the scarlet-breasted fruiteater eats primarily fruit, which it picks while hover-gleaning or, less frequently, while perched.<p>The scarlet-breasted fruiteater's vocalizations are generally short, high-pitched and infrequent. The song of the P. f. squamipectus male is sharp and ascending, variously transcribed as "psii" or "tsweeet", while the song of the P. f. frontalis male is longer and more complex—a thin, rising trill that becomes a descending whistle, transcribed as "ti'ti'ti'ti'ti'ti'tseeeeeeeeer". Its call is a very high-pitched pseet.
Conservation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorizes the Scarlet-breasted Fruiteater as a species of "least concern", based on its very large range and its status as a fairly common species within its range. However, its population size has never been quantified, and is thought to be decreasing.<p>The scarlet-breasted fruiteater is known to carry several species of bird lice, including members of the genera Myrsidea and Philopterus.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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