Long-wattled Umbrellabird

About the Long-wattled Umbrellabird

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.

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. The male generally has black colored shafts in its feathers.

The long-wattled umbrellabird's specific name penduliger derives from Latin pendulus, hanging, and refers to the wattle. 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... Wikipedia →