Rufous piha
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Lipaugus unirufus

The rufous piha (Lipaugus unirufus ) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae.It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Appearance

The adult rufous piha is about 23.5 cm (9.3 in) long and the sexes look similar. The upper parts are a uniform reddish-cinnamon and the underparts are similar but a slightly paler shade, the throat being the palest part. The bill is broad and either flesh-coloured or brown at the base, and there is sometimes a slight ring round the eye. This bird could be confused with the speckled mourner (Laniocera rufescens ) but that bird is shorter and more slender, with a slimmer bill and a relatively longer tail; the male rufous piha utters various piercing, whistling calls.

Rufous piha habitat map
Rufous piha
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Habits and Lifestyle

The rufous piha breeds between March and August in Costa Rica, there probably being two clutches in the year. The diet consists largely of fruits, such as those of laurels and palms, and invertebrates such as insects and spiders. It lives in the middle and lower storeys of humid forest and seldom descends to ground level. Much of its food is plucked while it hovers, and anything gathered on the ground is carried aloft before being eaten. It often sits lethargically on a suitable perch for long periods, sallying out at intervals to snap up passing insect prey.

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Population

Population number

The rufous piha has a very wide distribution and its total population is estimated to be within the range 50,000 to 500,000 individuals. The population may be in slight decline because of deforestation, particularly in Colombia and Ecuador, but not at a fast enough rate for it to be considered threatened, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being a "least-concern species".

References

1. Rufous piha Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous_piha
2. Rufous piha on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22700859/137842114
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/575585

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