Amazonian Umbrellabird
Photo © Thibaud Aronson
Photo © Thibaud Aronson — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Source: iNaturalist photo #99136629The Amazonian umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae native to the Amazon basin with a separate population on the eastern slopes of the Andes. The male bird is entirely black, with a black crest and inflatable wattle on the throat, and at 48 to 55 cm (19 to 22 in), may be the largest passerine bird in South America. The female is slightly smaller. Both have an undulating flight, described as woodpecker-like, and the male has a loud, booming call. The Amazonian umbrellabird feeds on fruit and berries, and may opportunistically take insects and spiders. It forages singly, in pairs or in small groups, in the forest canopy, hopping from branch to branch, but is a secretive species and is more often heard than seen. == Description == Much larger than the female, the male Amazonian umbrellabird is likely the largest passerine in South America as well as the largest suboscine passerine in the world. The male Amazonian umbrellabird grows to a weight of 480–571 grams (1.06–1.26 lb) and a length of 48–55 centimetres (18.9–21.7 in). The female typically stands 41–44 centimetres (16.1–17.3 in) tall and weighs up to 380 grams (0.84 lb). As…
Where to stay to see the Amazonian Umbrellabird
Yasuní National Park
Aguarico, Ecuador
+601 birds+43 mammals
Where the western Amazon basin converges with Ecuador's Orellana Province, lowland rainforest reaches toward the horizon in an unbroken canopy of staggering botanical density. Yasuní National…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPodocarpus National Park
Zamora, Ecuador
+496 birds+6 mammals
Where the Andes descend toward the Amazon basin, Podocarpus National Park sprawls across nearly 2,800 square kilometres of the most biodiverse terrain in Ecuador's southern highlands.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSumaco Napo-Galeras National Park
Loreto, Ecuador
+563 birds+4 mammals
Where Ecuador's Amazon transitions into cloud forest, a massive shield volcano rises from the emerald lowlands of Orellana Province, anchoring one of the continent's most biodiverse…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAntisana National Park
Quijos, Ecuador
+432 birds+21 mammals
Where the eastern Andean slopes descend into the Amazon basin, Antisana National Park sprawls across roughly 2,500 square kilometers of some of South America's most dramatic…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLlanganates National Park
Tena, Ecuador
+239 birds+8 mammals
Where the eastern slopes of the Andes plunge toward the Amazon basin, Llanganates National Park sprawls across nearly 3,500 square kilometers of montane wilderness, its terrain…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNatural Sierra de Chiribiquete National Park
Solano, Colombia
+359 birds+27 mammals
Massive table-top mountains rise abruptly from the lowland rainforest of southeastern Colombia, their sheer sandstone cliffs and isolated summits creating some of the most dramatic topography…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNatural la Paya National Park
Puerto Leguízamo, Colombia
+262 birds+4 mammals
Where the Amazon's western reaches fold into the Andes foothills, La Paya National Park sprawls across more than 8,500 square kilometers of pristine Amazonian rainforest in…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNatural Sierra de la Macarena National Park
Vista Hermosa, Colombia
+566 birds+15 mammals
Across nearly 20,000 square kilometres of Colombia's Meta Department, the terrain rises from lowland savanna into Andean foothills through a mosaic of gallery forests, palm-fringed wetlands,…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAmacayacu National Park
Leticia, Colombia
+567 birds+25 mammals
Where the Rio Amazonas curves through the tri-border region where Colombia, Peru, and Brazil converge, Amacayacu National Park sprawls across more than 5,250 square kilometres of…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKJaú National Park
Brazil
+354 birds+3 mammals
Vast floodplain forests and blackwater rivers define this remote corner of western Amazonas, where the Rio Negro and its tributaries have carved an intricate mosaic of…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAnavilhanas National Park
Brazil
+468 birds+8 mammals
Across the Rio Negro in central Amazonas, an archipelago of over a thousand islands rises from the world's largest rainforest river system, creating a labyrinth of…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCampos Amazónicos National Park
Amazonas, Brazil
+434 birds+7 mammals
Sprawling across the southwestern Amazon basin in Amazonas state, this 27,263-square-kilometre national park encompasses some of the region's most pristine lowland rainforest, where terra firme forest…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKYanachaga–chemillén National Park
Palcazu, Peru
+639 birds+6 mammals
Where the eastern slopes of Peru's central cordillera plunge into cloud forest, Yanachaga–Chemillén National Park protects nearly three thousand square kilometres of montane wilderness that few…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKManu National Park
Manu, Peru
+892 birds+26 mammals
Across the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes, tropical rainforest descends into the Amazon basin with a complexity that few terrestrial ecosystems match. Manu National Park…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBahuaja Sonene National Park
San Pedro de Putina Punco, Peru
+602 birds+8 mammals
Where the Madre de Dios and Heath rivers converge in southeastern Peru rises one of South America's most biodiverse wilderness regions: a vast protected realm of…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTingo Maria National Park
Mariano Dámaso Beraún, Peru
+423 birds
Where the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes descend toward the Amazon basin, the landscape fractures into a maze of limestone ridges, humid gorges, and cloud-wrapped…
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