Pale-winged Trumpeter

Overview

The pale-winged trumpeter (Psophia leucoptera), also known as the white-winged trumpeter, is a chicken-like bird belonging to the family Psophiidae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, although it was previously listed as Near Threatened between 2014 and 2023.

Identification

• A large, chicken-like bird measuring 45 to 52 centimetres in length, featuring a long neck, long legs, and a hump-backed profile.
• Almost entirely black plumage with a distinct white hindwing and purple, green, and bronze iridescence on the outer wing coverts.
• Possesses a stout, slightly decurved, grayish bill with a yellow base, and pale grayish legs and feet.
• Produces a low-pitched song described as 'wuh-wuh-wuh wuh wuh - -' and a loud, harsh 'KRETCH' alarm call.

Habitat

Found in the upper Amazon Basin of eastern Peru, northern and central Bolivia, and central-western Brazil south of the Amazon and west of the Rio Madeira. The species inhabits dense lowland tropical rainforest, generally favouring areas away from human habitations at elevations up to 750 m.

Diet

Primarily frugivorous, foraging on the forest floor for fallen ripe fruit which constitutes 90% of its diet. The remaining portion of its diet consists of invertebrates such as beetles and ants, with occasional consumption of small vertebrates like snakes.

Did you know?

This species maintains a cleaning symbiosis with ungulates like the gray brocket deer, following them to peck off ectoparasites such as ticks and flies in exchange for nutritional benefit.