A huge black bird looks spectacular with a bright orange finely ruffled breast and strong heavy bill.
Meet the Red-ruffed Fruitcrow
“Pyroderus scutatus / Toropisco montañero / Red-ruffed Fruitcrow” by felixú is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The red-ruffed fruitcrow (Pyroderus scutatus), is a species of bird in the monotypic genus Pyroderus, belonging to the family Cotingidae. Mostly black this species has a throat and breast that is bright orange. With the male, this shade of orange fades to a dull orange toward the rest of their underparts.
“File:Pyroderus scutatus -Intervales State Park, Sao Paulo, Brazil-8.jpg” by Francesco Veronesi is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The bill and feet are a pale blue, with some sub-species having brown underparts instead of orange.
Females look very similar to the male though they are differentiated by being smaller in size.
“PAVÓ – Pyroderus scutatus” by luizmrocha is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Populations of this species can be found in Venezuela and Guyana, as well as the east Andean slopes in Peru. They can also be found in Ecuador, Colombia, south-eastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and north-eastern Argentina.
All”File:Red-ruffed Fruitcrow – Colombia S4E0358 (16809651156).jpg” by Francesco Veronesi from Italy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Red-ruffed fruit crow prefer humid forests, especially in highland areas.
Félix Uribe from Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
An omnivores bird, a Red-ruffed fruit crow like to dine on fruit, insects, and lizards, with fruit forming the major portion of their diet.
Photo Courtesy of Francesco Veronesi / CC BY-SA 2.0
During the breeding season, the males of this species gather together competing in loose leks to attract females. A cup-shaped nest is built, relatively shallow it is made from twigs and lined with fern fronds. Usually, one egg is laid within, from then on there is very little more information.
Félix Uribe from Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Red-ruffed Fruitcrow is rare in the humid montane forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes at elevations ranging between 1100-2100 m.
“File:Pyroderus scutatus – Red-ruffed Fruitcrow (female).jpg” by Hector Bottai is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Watch and listen to this bird right here below:
H/T Wikipedia – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
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