Spangled cotinga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spangled cotinga |
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| Male at Cincinnati Zoo | |
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| Female at Cincinnati Zoo | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Cotinga
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| Species: |
cayana
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| Synonyms | |
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Ampelis cayana Linnaeus, 1766 |
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The spangled cotinga (Cotinga cayana) is a beautiful bird that lives in the Amazon Rainforest in South America. It belongs to a family of birds called cotingas, known for their amazing colours. You can usually find these birds high up in the treetops of the rainforest.
People have always admired cotingas for their bright, colourful feathers. In the past, their feathers were sometimes used for decorations or even for making fishing lures. Today, many people travel from all over the world just to see these stunning birds. This helps local communities by bringing in tourists.
Contents
What is a Spangled Cotinga?
The spangled cotinga is a type of bird in the family called Cotingidae. This family includes many birds that live in tropical areas. The spangled cotinga's scientific name is Cotinga cayana. This name helps scientists around the world know exactly which bird they are talking about.
How Scientists Name Animals
Scientists use a special naming system called binomial nomenclature. This means every animal and plant has two parts to its scientific name. The first part is the genus, like Cotinga, and the second part is the species, like cayana.
A French scientist named Mathurin Jacques Brisson first described this bird in 1760. He saw a specimen from a place called Cayenne. Later, in 1766, a famous Swedish scientist named Carl Linnaeus gave the bird its official two-part scientific name, Ampelis cayana. Today, it is known as Cotinga cayana.
Appearance: What Does a Spangled Cotinga Look Like?
Spangled cotingas are known for their striking colours. The males and females look quite different from each other. This is called being sexually dimorphic.
Male Spangled Cotinga Appearance
The male spangled cotinga is truly eye-catching. It is mostly a bright turquoise-blue colour. It has a large, deep wine-red patch on its throat. Its wings, tail, and back are black, which makes the bright blue stand out even more.
Female Spangled Cotinga Appearance
The female spangled cotinga is not as brightly coloured as the male. She is generally a dull brownish-gray. Her wings are a bit darker, and she might have some faint spots or patterns on her belly. This helps her blend in with her surroundings, especially when she is nesting.
Where Do Spangled Cotingas Live?
The spangled cotinga lives throughout the entire Amazon Basin. This is a huge area covering many countries in South America. Because they live in such a large region, scientists do not think this bird is in danger of disappearing. They are considered a species of "least concern."
Their Rainforest Home
These birds prefer to live in the upper parts of the rainforest canopy. This means they spend most of their time high up in the trees. They are often seen perching on dead trees that stick out above the rest of the forest.
Behaviour and Diet of the Spangled Cotinga
Like other birds in the Cotinga family, the spangled cotinga mainly eats fruit. This makes them frugivorous. However, they have also been seen eating insects sometimes.
Do Cotingas Sing?
Interestingly, spangled cotingas and other birds in their genus do not sing or make loud calls. Most birds use songs to communicate, but cotingas are different. They have been heard making a soft "whistling" sound, but this sound comes from their wings when they fly, not from their throats.
Gallery
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At Jurong Bird Park, Singapore
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Female at Jurong Bird Park, Singapore
