Escudo de la República de Colombia Escudo de la República de Colombia
Panel de Accesibilidad

✎ Andrés Rodriguez

✎ Andrés Rodriguez

✎ Camilo Alméciga

Amazonian Umbrellabird
Cephalopterus ornatusAmazon region

  • Generalities
  • Morpho-functionality
  • Lifecycle
  • Distribution

RECORRIDO VIRTUAL POR LA BIODIVERSIDAD DE COLOMBIA
Museo de Historia Natural
Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Amazonian Umbrellabird
Cephalopterus ornatus

These black birds have a peculiar crest shaped like an umbrella and also a tie of feathers that hangs from their throat. They feed mainly on fruits, large insects, and occasionally small vertebrates. They capture their prey in the foliage and branches, usually flying and later take them to a perch where they beat them before ingesting them. This is the largest passeriform bird of South America reaching a length of 44 cm and 380 gr of weight.

Conservation status

Extinct

Extinct in the Wild

Critically Endangered

Endangered

Vulnerable

Near Threatened

Least Concern

Not Evaluated

Data Deficient

Morpho-functionality

Crest

The visible crest on the top of its head and the inflatable wattle on its neck are key to courtship. The maximum length of the wattle on the neck is observed in very excited males, during this phase it is when they extend the umbrella feather (crest) on their head, becoming very showy.

Air sacs

For courtship, males generate the sounds of attraction towards the female by filling their air sacs and performing asphyxiating and pumping movements of the head and neck.

Lifecycle

The general aspects of reproduction that are described are based on studies of other species of the genus Cephalopterus as little is known about this species. Reproduction occurs in March, during this time the males form groups of four or five individuals where they display courtship behaviors, they congregate in places at between 10-25 m in height to carry out their displays based on leaning forward, vocalizing and expanding the feathers of its plume. They build their nests in trees 8 to 12 m high and they lay one egg. The egg has a brown color with dark and lilac spots.

Amazonian Umbrellabird

Distribution

This bird that inhabits the humid forests in Colombia, can be found in the Amazon river basin and in the foothills of the eastern Andes; its altitude distribution reaches up to 1800 m.

Distribution area