Red-crested Cotinga

About the Red-crested Cotinga

The red-crested cotinga (Ampelion rubrocristatus) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The red-crested cotinga is monotypic. It shares genus Ampelion with the chestnut-crested cotinga (A. rufaxilla). Early in the twentieth century some authors had placed both of them in genus Heliochera, which no longer exists.

The red-crested cotinga is 20.5 to 22 cm (8.1 to 8.7 in) long and weighs 47 to 80 g (1.7 to 2.8 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a dark gray head with a long chestnut-maroon crest which is usually held flat against the nape. Their body is gray and their wings and tail mostly a darker gray. Their upper- and undertail coverts, rump, and vent area have variable amounts of white streaking. The underside of their tail has a white band near the end. They have a deep red iris, a bill with an ivory-white or pale gray base and blackish gray tip, and black or dark gray legs and feet. Immatures are overall paler than adults due to pale fringes on their feathers.

The red-crested cotinga has a disjunct distribution. It is... Wikipedia →