Black nunbird
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Monasa atra

The black nunbird (Monasa atra ) is a species of near-passerine bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Appearance

The black nunbird is 25 to 29 cm (9.8 to 11 in) long and weighs 74 to 104 g (2.6 to 3.7 oz). The adult's upperparts are glossy blue-black and the underparts dark gray to light gray. The lesser coverts are white, showing as a wide white band on the closed wing. The bill is red, the eye red to brown, and the legs and feet slaty black. Immatures are sootier above and browner below than the adult.

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Biogeographical realms

The black nunbird is found from southern and eastern Venezuela through the Guianas into Brazil, where it occurs north of the Amazon River and east of the Rio Negro. It possibly also occurs in extreme eastern Colombia, though that has not been confirmed by the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (SACC). It inhabits humid terra firme, gallery, and várzea forest, usually at the edges, near water, and in somewhat open landscapes. It can be seen at all levels of the forest from the understory to the canopy. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).

Black nunbird habitat map
Black nunbird habitat map
Black nunbird
Attribution-ShareAlike License

Diet and Nutrition

The black nunbird hunts by sallies from a perch, usually plucking prey from vegetation or limbs though sometimes taking it in flight. Its diet includes insects, spiders, and other invertebrates as well as small vertebrates such as lizards. It follows army ant swarms.

Mating Habits

The black nunbird breeds between March and May in Venezuela and August to September in French Guiana. In the region of Manaus, Brazil, it apparently nests twice each year. The nest is placed in a hole in level ground.

Population

Population number

The IUCN has assessed the black nunbird as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range, and though its population has not been enumerated it is believed to be stable. It is considered common in most of its range.

References

1. Black nunbird Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_nunbird
2. Black nunbird on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22682325/130080015
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/493850

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