Cinnamon-vented Piha

Overview

The cinnamon-vented piha (Lipaugus lanioides) is a monotypic species of bird in the cotinga family that is endemic to Brazil. Although its estimated population is at least 50,000 mature individuals, it is considered rare by some sources and has occupied only about 10% of its former range.

Identification

• 25 to 28 cm long with a weight of 85 to 110 g, featuring a mostly gray head and upperparts with a brownish wash and a slightly scaly crown.
• Underparts are pale grayish brown with thin whitish streaks and distinctive cinnamon-buff undertail coverts.
• Possesses a dark brown or blackish bill with a paler base to the mandible, along with gray legs and feet.
• Produces a low, calm, nasal, staccato song described as 'tu-téhtjuh' or 'tutu-téhtjutju' with a higher middle note.

Habitat

Found in southeastern Brazil from southeastern Bahia south to northeastern Santa Catarina, with a few isolated inland records. It inhabits humid montane forest, typically between 500 and 1,000 m elevation, though it occurs locally as high as 1,400 m and near sea level in the south.

Diet

Feeds primarily on fruits and large insects, with nestlings being fed exclusively on insects for the first two weeks after hatching. Foraging involves perching quietly and peering about before sidling or making sallies to take food from leaves or branches.

Did you know?

Despite a large estimated population of at least 50,000 mature individuals, other sources consider the bird rare, noting that it occupies only about 10% of its former range due to habitat destruction.