Purple-throated Cotinga
Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema
The Purple-throated Cotinga (Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema) is a rare cotinga found in 5 countries, weighing about 60 g. The purple-throated cotinga is a species of bird in the cotinga family, Cotingidae.
About the Purple-throated Cotinga
The purple-throated cotinga is a species of bird in the cotinga family, Cotingidae. It is found in the western Amazon rainforest of South America; its range extends from southern Colombia south through eastern Ecuador and Peru and east through extreme northwestern Bolivia and into western Amazonian Brazil. It lives in the canopy or along the borders of humid forest throughout its range. The purple-throated cotinga is monotypic within the genus Porphyrolaema and has no known subspecies. It is one of the smaller cotinga species and expresses strong sexual dimorphism. Males have black upperparts with a bold white wingstripe and white edges to the tertial feathers and a white belly with some…
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How to identify it
The purple-throated cotinga is strongly sexually dimorphic as male and female purple-throated cotingas have few similarities in their plumage. The male has black upperparts, including the head, wings, and tail. The feathers on the bird's back to its uppertail coverts, as well as its upperwing coverts, have white fringes, giving it a scaled appearance. There is also a conspicuous white wingstripe and white edges to the tertial feathers. Additionally, the male has a deeply purple throat and a white belly, with some black barring on its rear flanks.
What the Purple-throated Cotinga sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Purple-throated Cotinga?
- The purple-throated cotinga is strongly sexually dimorphic as male and female purple-throated cotingas have few similarities in their plumage. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Purple-throated Cotinga?
- The Purple-throated Cotinga is a medium sized bird weighing about 60 g.
- Where can you see a Purple-throated Cotinga?
- The Purple-throated Cotinga occurs in 5 countries, including Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia.
- What does a Purple-throated Cotinga sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Purple-throated Cotinga on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Purple-throated Cotinga?
- The Purple-throated Cotinga is most easily confused with the Black-necked Red Cotinga, the Band-tailed Fruiteater and the Fiery-throated Fruiteater.
- Is the Purple-throated Cotinga endangered?
- The Purple-throated Cotinga is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Purple-throated Cotinga for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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