Golden-breasted Fruiteater

About the Golden-breasted Fruiteater

The golden-breasted fruiteater (Pipreola aureopectus) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae, the cotingas. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. The golden-breasted fruiteater was originally described as Ampelis aureo-pectus. In the 1970s at least one author treated the golden-breasted fruiteater, black-chested fruiteater (P. lubomirskii), orange-breasted fruiteater (P. jucunda), and masked fruiteater (P. pulchra) as conspecific, but retracted that treatment about a decade later. The four are now considered a superspecies.

The golden-breasted fruiteater has three subspecies, the nominate P. a. aureopectus (Lafresnaye, 1843), P. a. decora (Bangs, 1899), and P. a. festiva (Todd, 1912). Some authors have suggested that the population of the nominate in western Colombia could be separated as a fourth subspecies.

The golden-breasted fruiteater is 16.5 to 17.5 cm (6.5 to 6.9 in) long; three individuals weighed 46 to 50 g (1.6 to 1.8 oz). The sexes have very different plumage. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have dusky lores and chin on an otherwise grass-green head. Their upperparts and tail are also grass-green. Their wings... Wikipedia →