Amazonian Umbrellabird

Cephalopterus ornatus

Males sport a sweeping umbrella crest for lekking displays. A deep booming call resonates through the Amazon understory.

Population: Unknown/unquantified global population; described as uncommon and patchily distributed, with a suspected slow decline (best estimate 5-9%, range 1-19%, over three generations) driven partly by 9.4% tree-cover loss across its range over that period
Habitat: Subtropical/tropical moist lowland and montane (foothill) forest, especially near rivers, from 80-2,510 m elevation; typically in or near the forest canopy
Fun fact: The male Amazonian Umbrellabird — likely the largest suboscine passerine in the world — has an umbrella-like crest and an inflatable, feathered throat wattle used to amplify its deep, booming courtship call.
Range: Amazon basin across nine South American countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela — Extent of Occurrence ~6,150,000 km², from the Andean foothills of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia eastward through the Orinoco basin, southwestern Guyana, and across Brazil to the Negro and Xingu river basins
Diet: Primarily fruit and berries, foraging at upper forest levels, with opportunistic feeding on arthropods (insects, spiders, insect larvae)
Size: 0.55 m

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