The Cotingas (family, Cotingidae) are found in the forests and forest edges of Central America and tropical South America.
Diet / Feeding
They mostly eat fruit or insects.
Description
Cotingas have broad bills with hooked tips, rounded wings, and strong legs.
They range in body size from the 8-cm Kinglet Calyptura (which may not be a true cotinga) to the 50-cm male Amazonian Umbrellabird.
The males of many species are brightly colored, or decorated with plumes or wattles, with their umbrella-like crest and long throat wattles. Some have distinctive and far-carrying calls.
The females of most species are duller than the males.
Breeding / Nesting
The females alone care for the eggs and young. Males will mate with several females.
Many have striking courtship displays, often grouped together in leks (competitive mating displays or dancing grounds). The males gather high in a single tree or in adjacent trees, but male cocks-of-the-rock, as befits their more terrestrial lives, give their elaborate displays in leks on the ground.
Many species lay a single egg in a flimsy nest. Fruiteaters, on the other hand, build more solid cup nests, and the cocks-of-the-rock attach their mud nests to cliffs.
Species
FAMILY: COTINGIDAE
- Genus: Phytotoma– plantcutters
- White-tipped Plantcutter, or Reddish Plantcutter, Phytotoma rutila
- Rufous-tailed Plantcutter or Chilean Plantcutter, Phytotoma rara
- Peruvian Plantcutter, Phytotoma raimondii
- Genus: Phoenicircus – red-cotingas
- Guianan Red-cotinga (Phoenicircus carnifex)
- Black-necked Red-cotinga (Phoenicircus nigricollis)
- Genus: Tijuca
- Black-and-gold Cotinga (Tijuca atra)
- Grey-winged Cotinga (Tijuca condita)
- Genus: Carpornis – berryeaters
- Hooded Berryeater (Carpornis cucullata)
- Black-headed Berryeater (Carpornis melanocephala)
- Genus: Ampelion
- Red-crested Cotinga (Ampelion rubrocristatus)
- Chestnut-crested Cotinga (Ampelion rufaxilla)
- Genus: Doliornis
- Genus: Zaratornis
- White-cheeked Cotinga, Zaratornis stresemanni
- Genus: Pipreola – fruiteaters
Genus: Ampelioides – Scaled Fruiteater- Genus: Lipaugus – typical pihas
- Genus: Snowornis – atypical pihas (2 species)
- Genus Porphyrolaema
- Purple-throated Cotinga, Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema
- Genus: Cotinga
- Lovely Cotinga, Cotinga amabilis
- Turquoise Cotinga, Cotinga ridgwayi
- Blue Cotinga, Cotinga nattererii
- Plum-throated Cotinga, Cotinga maynana
- Purple-breasted Cotinga, Cotinga cotinga
- Banded Cotinga, Cotinga maculata
- Spangled Cotinga, Cotinga cayana
- Genus: Xipholena
- Pompadour Cotinga (Xipholena punicea)
- White-tailed Cotinga (Xipholena lamellipennis)
- White-winged Cotinga (Xipholena atropurpurea)
- Genus: Carpodectes (3 species)
- Black-tipped Cotinga, Carpodectes hopkei
- Yellow-billed Cotinga, Carpodectes antoniae
- Snowy Cotinga, Carpodectes nitidus
- Genus: Conioptilon
- Black-faced Cotinga, Conioptilon mcilhennyi
- Genus: Gymnoderus
- Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Gymnoderus foetidus
- Genus: Haematoderus
- Crimson Fruitcrow, Haematoderus militaris
- Genus: Querula
- Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Querula purpurata
- Genus: Pyroderus
- Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Pyroderus scutatus
- Genus Cephalopterus, the umbrellabirds
- Genus: Perissocephalus
- Capuchinbird, Perissocephalus tricolor
- Genus Procnias, the bellbirds
- Genus Rupicola, the cock-of-the-rocks
