- Pyroderus scutatus
Identification
Some populations are black with a voluminous red ruff on throat and upper breast. On some others, the lower breast, flanks, and belly is evenly rufous, and the rufous may even be spreading into the red on the throat. The last populations are intermediate, with lower underparts mixed black and rufous.
Distribution
Several well separated populations:
South-east Brazil, with nearest Argentina and Paraguay; eastern Peru; Andes of Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela; eastern Venezuela and Guyana.
Taxonomy
Five subspecies are recognized1:
- P.s. occidentalis
- P.s. granadensis
- P.s. orenocensis
- P.s. masoni
- P.s. scutatus
Habitat
Elevation preferences differ among populations. Most prefer moist forests to cloud forest or areas adjacent to those, but in some areas also found in drier forest.
Behaviour
Rarely flies above canopy. Seeks out fruit trees for fouraging. Males display in small leks.
References
- Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
- Ridgely and Tudor 2009. Field guide to the songbirds of South America - The Passerines. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71979-8
