The fiery-throated fruiteater (''Pipreola chlorolepidota'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the family Cotingidae. It is found in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

where its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s and subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

s. It is becoming rare due to

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

of its rainforest habitat.

Description

At just , the fiery-throated fruiteater is the smallest species in the genus. The adult male has a bright green head and upper parts except for the tips of the

tertial In music theory, ''tertian'' (, "of or concerning thirds") describes any piece, chord, counterpoint etc. constructed from the intervals of (major and minor) thirds. An interval such as that between the notes A and C encompasses 3 semitone int ...

wing feathers which are white. The throat and chest are bright orangish-red, contrasting with the rest of the underparts which are green, the midbelly being tinged with yellow. The upper parts of the adult female are similar to those of the male, the breast is green and the belly is barred with green and yellow. In both sexes, the iris is pale grey, the beak pinkish-orange with a dark tip, and the legs orange. This bird might be confused with the

scarlet-breasted fruiteater The scarlet-breasted fruiteater (''Pipreola frontalis'') is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru where its natural habitat is subtropical and tropical moist montane forests. Two subspecies are reco ...

(''Pipreola frontalis'') but that species is larger and the belly of the male is less green.

Distribution and habitat

The fiery-throated fruiteater is found in humid tropical forests on the eastern slopes of the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

. Its range extends from southern Colombia, through Ecuador to northern Peru, and its altitudinal range is from above sea level, although it has been observed at Cerros del Sira, in the

Ucayali Region Ucayali () is an inland department and region of Peru. Located in the Amazon rainforest, its name is derived from the Ucayali River. Its capital is the city of Pucallpa. It is the second largest department in Peru, after Loreto, and it is s ...

of Peru, at around . Fiery-throated fruiteater (Pipreola chlorolepidota) female on nest Sumaco.jpg, female on nest, Ecuador Fiery-throated fruiteater (Pipreola chlorolepidota) female on nest with male Sumaco.jpg, female on same nest with male

Status

The forests on the foothills of the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are under pressure from tea and coffee farmers, cattle ranchers, loggers, miners and oil explorers. The fiery-throated fruiteater is an uncommon species with a patchy distribution across its wide range. Through much of its range its population trend is thought to be downwards, but it is present in the

Sangay National Park Sangay National Park () is a national park located in the Morona-Santiago, Chimborazo, Tungurahua, Cañar, and Azuay provinces of Ecuador. The park contains two active volcanoes (Tungurahua and Sangay), one extinct volcano El Altar (Kapak U ...

in Ecuador where the natural forest should be preserved so the

international Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

has rated it as being a least concern.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1314587 fiery-throated fruiteater Birds of the Ecuadorian Andes Birds of the Peruvian Andes fiery-throated fruiteater Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by William Swainson