Cotingidae – Cotingas, Fruiteaters & Allies

Cotingidae are a family of Passeriformes sitting between the Pipridae (Manakins) and the Tityridae (Tityras & Becards). They are a large family of passerine bird species found in Central America and tropical South America. They live in deserts, open woodlands, coastal mangroves, and humid tropical forests. Cotingas face very serious threats from loss of their habitats.

A 2014 molecular phylogenetic study of the cotingas by Jacob Berv and Richard Prum found that the genera formed five monophyletic clades and they proposed that the family could be divided into five subfamilies. They would be Pipreolinae encompassing the Ampeliopides and Pipreola genera; Rupicolinae encompassing four genera – Snowornis, Carpornis, Phoenicircus & Rupicola; Phytotominae for another five genera – Zaratornis, Phytotoma, Phibalura, Doliornis & Ampelion; Cephalopterinae encompassing Haematoderus, Querula, Pyrodelus, Perissocephalus & Cephalopterus and, lastly, Cotinginae for the rest: Lipaugus, Procnias, Cotinga, Porphyrolaema, Conioptilon, Gymnoderus, Xipholena & Carpodectes.

Chestnut-crested Cotinga Ampelion rufaxilla – ©Dubi Shapiro

They are generally birds of forests or forest edges, and mostly eat fruit or insects & fruit. Comparatively little is known about this diverse group, although all have broad bills with hooked tips, rounded wings, and strong legs. 66 species in 24 genera, they may be the most diverse passerine family in body size, ranging from 8 centimetres to the world’s largest suboscine in the 50 centimetres male Amazonian Umbrellabird.

Dusky Piha Lipaugus fuscocinereus – ©Dubi Shapiro

They inhabit a variety of forested ecosystems, including the dense understory of humid tropical rainforests, open woodlands, coastal mangroves, and the edges of forests where they can be more easily observed. They are primarily frugivorous, feeding on a wide range of fruits, which makes them vital for the dispersal of seeds and the propagation of forest plants. Some species, such as the plantcutters, have evolved to consume leaves and flowers, a rare diet among birds. Larger cotingas occasionally supplement their fruit diet with invertebrates, thus contributing to the control of insect populations.

Guianan Red Cotinga Phoenicircus carnifex – ©Dubi Shapiro

Cotingas exhibit a dazzling array of colorations, from the deep blues and vibrant reds of the males to the more camouflaged greens and browns of the females. This sexual dimorphism is often pronounced, with males displaying vivid colours and elaborate feathers to attract mates. The diversity in their calls is equally impressive, from the haunting whistles of the Screaming Piha to the metallic sounds of the Bellbirds.

Three-wattled Bellbird Procnias tricarunculatus – ©Dubi Shapiro

Cotingas vary widely in social structure. There is a roughly 50/50 divide in the family between species with biparental care, and those in which the males play no part in raising the young. For example, the Purple-throated Fruitcrow lives in mixed-sex groups in which one female lays an egg and the others help provide insects to the chick.

Crimson Fruitcrow Haematoderus militaris – ©Dubi Shapiro

In cotinga species where only the females care for the eggs and young, the males have striking courtship displays, often grouped together in leks. Such sexual selection results in the males of these species, including the Guianan Cock-of-the-rock, being brightly coloured, or decorated with plumes or wattles, like the umbrellabirds, with their umbrella-like crest and long throat wattles.

Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger – ©Dubi Shapiro

Other lekking cotingids like the bellbirds, have distinctive and far-carrying calls.

In such canopy-dwelling genera as Carpodectes, Cotinga, and Xipholena, 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. The females of both lekking and bi-parental species are duller than the males.

Orange-breasted Fruiteater Pipreola jucunda – ©Dubi Shapiro

Nests range from tiny to very large. Many species lay a single egg in a nest so flimsy that the egg can be seen from underneath. This may make the nests hard for predators to find. Fruiteaters build more solid cup nests, and the cocks-of-the-rock attach their mud nests to cliffs.

The nests may be open cups or little platforms with loosely woven plant material, usually placed in a tree.

Guianan Cock-of-the-rock Rupicola rupicola – ©Dubi Shapiro

The clutches comprise one to four eggs. Incubation typically takes fifteen to twenty-eight days. Fledging usually occurs at 28-33 days.