Biology
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While much of the long-wattled umbrellabird's breeding biology is still unclear (9) (10), its courtship behaviour is known to be complex and elaborate (4) (9). Throughout the year, male birds can be found gathered at established sites, termed “leks”, where they make exuberant displays to the female birds (4) (10). The male uses a combination of raising its crest, swinging its wattle, and making grunting vocalisations to attract a mate (4). After mating, the female is solely responsible for building the nest, incubating the eggs and brooding the chicks (9) (10).
Puzzlingly, in at least one part of its range, male long-wattled umbrellabird displaying activity peaks during the dry season (August to December), around six months before the period of greatest female nesting activity (10). It is not yet clear why this disparity occurs, but possibly it is because the male relies on large quantities of fruit, which may be more abundant during the dry season, to sustain its energetic display (10). In contrast, when nesting, the female may be more dependent on the abundance of insects in the rainy season to give the energy and nutrients required to produce eggs and brood chicks (9) (10). In order to maximize chances of offspring survival at this time, it is thought that the female birds might either store male sperm for a long period after mating in the dry season, or they may mate with the small proportion of superior males still capable of displaying at the leks during the rainy season (10).
The consumption of large quantities of fruit means that the long-wattled umbrellabird plays an important ecological role within its habitat as a seed dispersal agent. Along with fruit, this opportunistic species will also take large insects, amphibians and reptiles (2) (8) (9).
Conservation
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In western Colombia, the long-wattled umbrellabird's range includes two large national parks, Los Farallones de Cali and Munchique. Population surveys within these sites are necessary to evaluate whether they represent important strongholds for this species and should be targeted for specific conservation efforts (2). In western Ecuador, the long-wattled umbrellabird occurs within a number of protected areas. Despite many of these sites harbouring significant populations, illegal logging, hunting and colonisation remain threats to this species and its habitat. Increased law enforcement of these areas is required if they are to provide an effective refuge for threatened species. The Center for Tropical Research, a conservation and research organisation, is currently working to provide effective conservation action for the forests of north-western Ecuador. The organisation's work includes research into the biology of the long-wattled umbrellabird and surveys of its population, which will help towards developing conservation strategies for this unusual species (8).
Description
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The long-wattled umbrellabird gains its name from the rather bizarre and striking features of the male of the species. The male bird has a large crest, composed of hair-like feathers, extending over the bill, and a long, black feathered wattle hanging from the middle of the chest (2) (4). The wattle reaches a length of up to 45 centimetres (5) and can be inflated during courtship, when it resembles a large, open pine cone (6). During flight, it is retracted and held against the chest (7). The female and juvenile resemble the male but are smaller, and both the crest and wattle are greatly reduced (4). The long-wattled umbrellabird is usually silent, except during displays, when the male makes a protracted grunting noise (7), as well as a low-frequency booming call that is audible to humans at a distance of up to one kilometre away (5).
Habitat
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Found in both humid and wet forest, the long-wattled umbrellabird occupies a range of altitudes from 80 to 1,800 metres (2).
Range
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The long-wattled umbrellabird is found in a relatively narrow belt along the western slopes of the Andes, from the San Juan River in Colombia down to southern Ecuador (4). Its range falls within the Chocó Biogeographical Region, a 100,000 square kilometre area of humid forest in western Colombia and north-western Ecuador, which is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world (8).
Status
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Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1) and listed on Appendix III of CITES (3).
Threats
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The primary threat to the long-wattled Umbrellabird is habitat loss. This species is endemic to the Chocó rainforests and depends upon primary rainforest habitat, which is disappearing rapidly due to human colonisation (5). The improvement of transport networks has allowed the destructive activities of logging, mining, and conversion to agriculture and plantations to expand into previously undisturbed remote areas (2). Not only does this loss and degradation destroy numerous display and nesting sites, but the increased human presence around those that remain may well lead to reduced breeding success (9).
Hunting pressure on the long-wattled umbrellabird is a lesser, but still important threat to this species' survival (2) (5). During courtship displays, the gathered males become an easy target for hunters, who sell them locally, and sometimes internationally, as cage birds (4).
Long-wattled umbrellabird
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The long-wattled umbrellabird (Cephalopterus penduliger) is an umbrellabird in the Cotingidae family. Its Spanish names include pájaro bolsón, pájaro toro, dungali, and vaca del monte.[2] The long-wattled umbrellabird is considered rare and it resides in humid to wet premontane and cloud forest.[3] They are often found on the Pacific slopes of southwest Colombia and western Ecuador, but occasionally are found at lower altitudes.[3]
Description
The male is 40–42 cm in height, with the female being slightly smaller at 35–37 cm. Both sexes are short-tailed and carry an erectile head crest; those of the males are slightly longer at 20–30 cm. The male is distinguished by a large throat wattle of feathers, while females and juveniles have no or a much smaller wattle. The length of the wattle can be controlled, and it can be retracted in flight.[4] The male generally has black colored shafts in its feathers.[5]
The long-wattled umbrellabird's specific name penduliger derives from Latin pendulus, hanging, and refers to the wattle.[6]
Distribution and habitat
The species shows a high level of endemism and is found from the southwestern part of Colombia to the province of El Oro in Ecuador, in the bioregion of Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena.[2] It inhabits humid montane forests at 1,500-1,800 m above sea level on the ridges and sides of the Andes range.[2][5]
Ecology
Feeding
The species is mostly frugivorous, and feeds on large fruit.[7] The fruits of the Arecaceae, Lauraceae, and Myrtaceae are preferred. Invertebrates and small vertebrates are also taken.[8][9][10]
Reproduction
The long-wattled umbrellabird engages in lek mating, where the males congregate in common areas (leks) for display, which are visited by the solitary females.[11] Females select a male with prominent secondary traits such as aggression and territorial behavior.[12] Nests are built in trees or treeferns, and have been recorded at heights of 4.5–5.0 m above ground.[1]
Clutch sizes in the genus Cephalopterus are generally low; only one egg is laid per nesting attempt.[13] Incubation lasts 27 or 28 days. Only the female incubates and cares for the nestling. She provides food for the nestling on average once per hour and includes invertebrates, vertebrates, and regurgitated material.[14]
Conservation
The species has been classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. A total population of 6,000-15,000 mature individuals was estimated in 2012. It is thought to be under pressure from habitat destruction through deforestation and from hunting. The easy-to-locate lek mating areas make it particularly susceptible to trapping.[1]
The long-wattled umbrellabird is present in several protected areas. The consolidation of existing scattered reserves, as well as the nomination of several existing protected areas as biosphere reserves, could be very beneficial for the species.[1] The curating of forest composition and reforestation have been pointed out as important approaches.[2]
References
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^ a b c d BirdLife International (2016). "Cephalopterus penduliger". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22700936A93805498. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22700936A93805498.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
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^ a b c d Granizo, T; Pacheco, C; Ribadeneira, M.B; Guerrero, M; Suárez, L (2002). Libro Rojo de las Aves del Ecuador. Quito. pp. 177–178.
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^ a b Jahn, Olaf; Grefa, Edwin E. Vargas; Schuchmann, Karl-L. (March 1999). "The life history of the Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger in the Andean foothills of north-west Ecuador: leks, behaviour, ecology and conservation". Bird Conservation International. 9 (1): 81–94. doi:10.1017/s0959270900003373. ISSN 0959-2709.
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^ Karubian, J.; Greeney, H. F.; Freile, J. F. (2010). "Long-wattled Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus penduliger)". Neotropical Birds Online. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
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^ a b Ridgely, R.; Greenfield, P. (2006). Aves del Ecuador. Quito: Jocotoco.
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^ Granizo, T. (2009). Etimología: nombres científicos de las aves del Ecuador. Quito: Simbioe.
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^ Leck, C. (1979). "Avian Extinctions in an Isolated Tropical Wet-Forest Preserve, Ecuador". The Auk. 96 (2): 343–352. doi:10.1093/auk/96.2.343. JSTOR 4085313.
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^ Snow, D. W. (1982). The Cotingas: bellbirds, umbrellabirds, and other species. Cornell University Presslocation=Ithaca, NY.
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^ Ridgely, R. S.; Greenfield, P. J. (2001). The birds of Ecuador. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
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^ Berg, K. S. (2000). "Field notes on the biology of the Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger in west Ecuador". Cotinga. 14: 26–29.
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^ Karubian, J.; Durães, R.; Storey, J. L.; Smith, T. B. (2012). "Mating Behavior Drives Seed Dispersal by the Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger". Biotropica. 44 (5): 689–698. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2012.00859.x.
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^ Andrade, G. (2010). Comportamiento y distribución del Pájaro Paraguas Longipéndulo Cephalopterus penduliger en el occidente del Ecuador (Thesis). Universidad San Francisco de Quito.
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^ Karubian, J.; Castañeda, G.; Freile, J.F.; Salazar, R.T.; Santander, T.; Smith, T.B. (2003). "Nesting biology of a female long-wattled umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger in north-western Ecuador". Bird Conservation International. 13 (4): 351–360. doi:10.1017/s0959270903003253.
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^ Greeney, H.; Kirwan, M.; Miller, E. (2012). "Nesting biology of the Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger. Part II: nestling provisioning". Cotinga. 34: 96–99.
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Long-wattled umbrellabird: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
The long-wattled umbrellabird (Cephalopterus penduliger) is an umbrellabird in the Cotingidae family. Its Spanish names include pájaro bolsón, pájaro toro, dungali, and vaca del monte. The long-wattled umbrellabird is considered rare and it resides in humid to wet premontane and cloud forest. They are often found on the Pacific slopes of southwest Colombia and western Ecuador, but occasionally are found at lower altitudes.
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