Black-tipped cotinga
| Black-tipped cotinga | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Cotingidae |
| Genus: | Carpodectes |
| Species: | C. hopkei
|
| Binomial name | |
| Carpodectes hopkei Berlepsch, 1897
| |
The black-tipped cotinga (Carpodectes hopkei) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.[2]
Taxonomy and systematics
The black-tipped cotinga shares genus Carpodectes with the yellow-billed cotinga (C. antoniae) and the snowy cotinga (C. nitidus).[2] One early twentieth century author treated them as conspecific but they have been otherwise treated as separate species.[3] The three form a superspecies.[4] The black-tipped cotinga is monotypic.[2]
At least one twentieth century author called Carpodectes hopkei the white cotinga.[5]
Description
The black-tipped cotinga is 22 to 25 cm (8.7 to 9.8 in) long. The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males are almost entirely white. They have a very faint gray tinge on their crown, back, and tail and small blackish spots on the tips of the outer primaries and innermost pair of tail feathers. Their flight feathers are wide and have rounded tips. Adult females have a dark grayish head and upperparts and a blackish tail. Their wings are mostly blackish with white edges on the coverts and inner flight feathers. Their breast is pale gray that fades to white towards the vent. Their secondaries are much thinner than the male's. Both sexes have an orange to dark red iris and blackish legs and feet. Their black bill has a wide base, a ridged culmen, and a notch on the tip of the maxilla. Immature birds of both sexes resemble adult females. Subadult males have almost adult plumage but have more dark markings on the wing feathers and black tips on most tail feathers.[6]
Distribution and habitat
The black-tipped cotinga is found from Darién Province in southeastern Panama south in the lowlands through western Colombia into northwestern Ecuador as far as northern Pichincha Province.[6][7] There are also scattered sightings further south in Ecuador.[8] It primarily inhabits the canopy of humid forest in the tropical zone and occasionally is found in nearby secondary woodland.[6][7] In elevation it ranges from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in Panama and to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in Colombia; it is found mostly below 500 m (1,600 ft) in Ecuador.[9][10][8]
Behavior
Movement
Though the black-tipped cotinga is believed to be a year-round resident, some seasonal movements are suspected.[7]
Feeding
The black-tipped cotinga feeds mostly on fruits though details are lacking. It does seem to favor those of Cecropia trees. It sometimes forages in groups of up to about six individuals.[6]
Breeding
Males make a display fight during which they flap their wings very slowly. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.[6]
Vocalization
As of October 2025 xeno-canto had only two recordings of black-tipped cotinga calls; the Cornell Lab's Macaulay Library had one of them but no others.[11][12] No song is known for the species.[6]
Status
The IUCN originally in 1994 assessed the black-tipped cotinga as Near Threatened but since 2000 as being of Least Concern. Its estimated population of between 20,000 and 50,000 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered rare to locally fairly common and occurs in some protected areas. However, its population has been "undoubtedly reduced by recent destruction of lowland forest, especially in NW Ecuador".[6]
References
- ^ a b BirdLife International (2020). "Black-tipped Cotinga Carpodectes hopkei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T22700910A137841300. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22700910A137841300.en. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ^ a b c Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (March 2025). "Cotingas, manakins, tityras, becards". IOC World Bird List. v 15.1. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ Hellmayr, C. E. (1929). "Catalogue of birds of the Americas. Part VI". Field Museum of Natural History Zoological Series volume 13, part 6. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.5570
- ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, D. F. Lane, L, N. Naka, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 29 September 2025. A classification of the bird species of South America. South American Classification Committee associated with the International Ornithological Union. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved September 29, 2025
- ^ Wetmore, A. (1972). "The Birds of the Republic of Panamá. Volume 3: Passeriformes: Dendrocolaptidae (Woodcreepers) to Oxyruncidae (Sharpbills)". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 150(3). Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/34030#page/7/mode/1up
- ^ a b c d e f g Snow, D. (2020). Black-tipped Cotinga (Carpodectes hopkei), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bltcot1.01 retrieved October 3, 2025
- ^ a b c Check-list of North American Birds (7th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Ornithologists' Union. 1998. p. 421.
- ^ a b Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. pp. 551–552. ISBN 978-0-8014-8721-7.
- ^ vanPerlo, Ber (2006). Birds of Mexico and Central America. Princeton Illustrated Checklists. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. Plate 69, map 69.16. ISBN 0691120706.
- ^ McMullan, Miles; Donegan, Thomas M.; Quevedo, Alonso (2010). Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Bogotá: Fundación ProAves. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-9827615-0-2.
- ^ "Black-tipped Cotinga Carpodectes hopkei". xeno-canto. 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ^ "Black-tipped Cotinga Carpodectes hopkei". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.