Dark-winged Trumpeter

Overview

The dark-winged trumpeter (Psophia viridis) is a chicken-like bird in the family Psophiidae that is endemic to Brazil. Its taxonomy is unsettled, with various authorities recognising it as a single species with multiple subspecies or as three distinct species, the green-winged, olive-winged, and black-winged trumpeters.

Identification

• 45 to 52 cm long, chicken-like body with a long neck, long legs, and a hump-backed profile.
• Plumage varies by subspecies; the nominate is mostly velvety blackish with a dark smoky olive-green mantle, while others feature dark brown mantles and little to no purple iridescence on the lower neck and wing coverts.
• Sexes are alike; bills range from dusky brown to bright green, and legs and feet are dusky brown to greenish olive.
• Song consists of a series of low humming notes, given singly at first and then doubled, alongside harsh, sharp, or raucous 'tset' notes used as contact and alarm calls.

Habitat

Found in the Amazon Basin of Brazil south of the Amazon River, with specific subspecies ranging from the Rio Madeira to the Atlantic coast in the state of Pará. The species is assumed to be sedentary and territorial, similar to other trumpeters.

Diet

Forages in groups of up to about 20 individuals, consuming fruit, arthropods, small vertebrates, and carrion. It sometimes follows army ant swarms to capture fleeing prey.

Did you know?

The breeding season appears to include January to April, and as with other trumpeters, the species is likely a polyandrous, cooperative breeder that nests in tree holes made by other bird species.