Chestnut-capped Piha Lipaugus weberi Scientific name definitions
- CR Critically Endangered
- Names (18)
- Monotypic
Text last updated October 29, 2015
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Species names in all available languages
| Language | Common name |
|---|---|
| Catalan | cotinga de Weber |
| Dutch | Kastanjekruinpiha |
| English | Chestnut-capped Piha |
| English (United States) | Chestnut-capped Piha |
| French | Piauhau de Weber |
| French (France) | Piauhau de Weber |
| German | Braunkappenkotinga |
| Japanese | ズアカカザリドリ |
| Norwegian | brunkronepiha |
| Polish | bławatowiec rudogłowy |
| Russian | Рыжешапочная пиха |
| Serbian | Piha sa kestenjastom kapicom |
| Slovak | kotinga hnedohlavá |
| Spanish | Guardabosques Antioqueño |
| Spanish (Spain) | Guardabosques antioqueño |
| Swedish | kastanjekronad piha |
| Turkish | Antiokya Kotingası |
| Ukrainian | Пига рудоголова |
Lipaugus weberi Cuervo et al., 2001
Definitions
- LIPAUGUS
- weberi
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Originally Appeared in
Introduction
The Chestnut-capped Piha was discovered in the northern end of Colombia's Central Andes only as receently as 1999 (Cuervo et al. 2001). The chestnut-brown crown, relatively dark gray plumage, and yellow orbital ring and gape separate it from other pihas. It has stiffened outer primaries with barb-like projections, which are used to create a wing-whirring sound during display flights. Like many other pihas, the Chestnut-capped is quite vocal, delivering a loud, piercing song as well as several other vocalizations. It has been found in cloud forest in a narrow elevational range (1500-1820 m), and is seriously threatened by ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation.
Field Identification
24–25 cm; 72 g. Male has chestnut crown ; plumage otherwise slate-grey , slightly paler below , with pale cinnamon undertail-coverts; primaries 6 and 7 modified, with barbs of outer webs stiffened and not interlocking; iris dark brown, orbital ring yellowish; bill blackish; legs grey. Female is like male, but primaries not modified. Juvenile is similar to adult, but with secondaries and outer primaries broadly fringed rufous.
Systematics History
Subspecies
Distribution
N & NE slopes of C Andes of Colombia (Porce and Nechí valleys, in Antioquia).
Habitat
Primary premontane wet forest , including moderately disturbed forest; large cloudforests favoured; apparently absent from young secondary forest. Recorded at 1400–1925 m.
Movement
None recorded.
Diet and Foraging
Mainly fruits, also occasionally large invertebrates. Fruits of several plant families recorded, including especially Lauraceae, also Rubiaceae, Myrsinaceae and Melastomataceae. Food items usually taken in short flight sallies; sometimes detaches fruits by making a twisting aerial “pirouette”, occasionally plucks them while perched. Occasionally accompanies mixed-species foraging flocks.
Sounds and Vocal Behavior
Loud piercing “sreeck”, rising in pitch and then abruptly descending, typically repeated at 1-second intervals; also, relatively quiet, nasal “gluck-gluck”, apparently as contact or alarm.
Breeding
Season probably in first half of year; recently fledged young in early Jun, and male with almost completed moult and female in full wing and tail moult both in late Aug. Possible lek observed in Jul, three birds together, two of which chasing one another. No other information.
Conservation Status
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. Restricted-range species: present in Northern Central Andes EBA. Extremely localized, occupying 357·5 km² (2) at N end of Cordillera Central of Colombia. Discovered as recently as 1999 and officially described in 2001. Appeared then to be fairly common within a narrow belt of very humid premontane forest in C range of Colombian Andes, where it had been recorded at five localities (3). Since then, has been found at 16 sites (4, 5), but has proven to be generally much less common than originally supposed (5). No quantitative estimates of abundance or population density (5), but global population estimated variously to be “fewer than 250 individuals” (6, 2) to ten times that number BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Lipaugus weberi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 17/06/2015. . Believed to have been extirpated throughout a large part of its original range (7, 5). Three-quarters (74·2%) of area of original habitat has been destroyed, with 8·65% being lost in the decade 2000–2010 (2). Some of the forest fragments in which the species was observed in 2002 and 2004 are now deforested, and illegal timber extraction and mining affect the remnants (5). Dependent on pristine, old-growth or mature forests in predominantly forested landscapes (5). Only tolerates forest fragmentation provided fragments are large (> 70 ha) and interconnected, only occasionally occurring in parcels of 15–30 ha (4). Intensive observations revealed that, in small forest fragments, this newly discovered cotingid exhibited high degree of morphological asymmetry (apparently related to lower survival rate, reduced fitness and poorer aerodynamics), indicating that it is one of those species most adversely affected by forest fragmentation (8). Main threat is now the aggressive expansion of pasturelands in response to the growth of cattle-ranching and (to a lesser extent) coffee cultivation. Replacement of natural forest with plantations is a further threat (5). An important 450 ha forest block at La Forzosa (type locality, Anorí), which harbours populations of several other globally threatened bird species, was formally protected prior to the piha’s discovery (7). Also occurs within 1324 ha Arrierito Antioqueño (Chestnut-capped Piha) and La Serrana reserves (Anorí), and Caracolí-Guayabito reserve (Amalfi) (5). More complete investigation of this piha’s present range and ecological requirements desirable, together with establishment of additional protected areas. Priority should be given to preserving landscape connectivity between well-conserved forests in the region of La Secreta, Santa Gertrudis and Bodega Vieja (8), where the most important populations of the species may occur (5). Formerly listed as globally Endangered, in view of its tiny population and current rate of forest clearance and degradation within its very small range, it was accorded the conservation status of Critically Endangered in 2015. Considered Critically Endangered in Colombia since its discovery (6, 2).
- Year-round
- Migration
- Breeding
- Non-Breeding
