Video Content
How to translate text using browser tools
1 June 2018 The Andean Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus) is a frugivorous bird predator
Laura Mahecha, Nickole Villabona, Laura Sierra, David Ocampo, Oscar Laverde-R.
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Cotingas are considered essentially frugivorous, but a few records suggest they might include small vertebrates in their diet, mainly during the breeding season. In March 2015, we recorded a young male of an Andean Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus) chasing and eating an adult Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) in Santa Maria, Boyacá (Colombia). The next day, we observed another adult male chasing a Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), but we were unable to observe the end of the chase. Observations of hunting small vertebrates suggest this species may be omnivorous, not only during the breeding season but throughout its annual cycle. These may be rare cases, but notably both events involved migratory species that may not recognize these colorful birds as possible predators because they are not exposed to cotingas in the temperate zone. Predation on adult birds is difficult to observe in the wild, but this information is essential to better understand the life histories of birds and the different selection pressures acting on them.

Laura Mahecha, Nickole Villabona, Laura Sierra, David Ocampo, and Oscar Laverde-R. "The Andean Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus) is a frugivorous bird predator," The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 130(2), 558-560, (1 June 2018). https://doi.org/10.1676/17-005.1
Received: 11 January 2017; Accepted: 28 September 2017; Published: 1 June 2018
KEYWORDS
Andes
cotinga
life history
Neotropics
predators
Rupicola
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top