Bare Necked Umbrellabird

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Bare Necked Umbrellabird

The Umbrella bird lives in Costa Rica and Panama, restricted to the Caribbean slope and central highlands of Costa Rica and northeastern Panama. Umbrellasbirds normally inhabit the mid to upper stories of tall trees. Most of the year is spent in the foothills and adjacent lowlands of the Caribbean slope where females live below 200m and males from 100 to 500m. During breeding the will move to higher elevations. Physical Description Adult male umbrella birds weigh 450 g and reach approximately 41 cm in length and females are smaller weighing 320 g and reaching 36 cm in length. This species makes up the largest of the cotingas, and are about the size of a crow. Both males and females have a stocky body, with a large bill, short tail, and wide, long wings. The males are more dramatic looking than the females with their crest being much larger and they also have bluish black back feathers, which females do not have. The males are entirely black, with the exception of a bright orange-red throat pouch that he can inflate during display in breeding rituals. The umbrellabirds ornamentation and calls make them one of the more unique birds found in Costa Rica, as they are an interesting sight to behold and hear. Umbrellabirds get their name because the head is exaggerated by a glistening crest that projects over their beaks, resembling an umbrella. Their wide trachea enables them to make loud ‘roaring’ sounds which have earned them the name of “bullbirds.” Umbrellabirds also have sharp and powerful claws that provide a secure grip on branches while calling.

Feeding/Diet

The bare-necked umbrellabird forages in primary forest, usually in the upper half of the canopy, searching for fruit trees, but is also know to roam into tall growth in the outlining canopy zone. It is not known for its hunting skill and will often be noisy while wandering from perch to perch in pursuit of food. The umbrellabird eats a variety of fruits such as berries and palms but also nuts. Larger seeds of fruit they eat are regurgitated and dispersed throughout the forests helping to regenerate their habitat. Insects, spiders, katydids, grasshoppers, cockroaches, caterpillars are also consumed by the umbrellabird. They are also known to eat small lizards and frogs, smacking them against branches before actually swallowing them. Animals are particularly eaten during the rainy season when fruits can be scarce.

Breeding Behavior

The bare-necked umbrella bird uses what’s called an explosive lek mating system: A lek is a gathering of males, of certain animal species, for the purposes of competitive mating display. Leks assemble before and during the breeding season, on a daily basis. The same group of males meet at a traditional place and take up the same individual positions on an arena, each occupying and defending a small territory or court. Intermittently or continuously, they spar, in this case, individually with vocal challenges.). Leks of the Umbrellabird contain four males, who each pick three perches from various heights, where they spend all their daylight hours trying to impress a female. As they display, a male will inflate his throat sac, resembling a huge apple trying to emerge, and then he leans forward and releases a loud, booming roar that carries far; after he leans back his head and finishes with raspier tones. The females here this and approach the lek. During the nonbreeding season, umbrellabirds live alone or migrate in small flocks.

Nonbreeding Season

The bare-necked umbrellabird leaves the breeding grounds in the highlands (2,600–6,600 ft [800–2,000 m]) in late July or August, returning there from the lowlands in March. The sexes are segregated between altitudes to some degree during the nonbreeding season, with males often found at 330–1,600 ft (100–500 m), and females found below 660 ft (200 m).

Conservation Status

The bare-necked umbrellabird is considered at considerable risk. Populations are declining with numbers estimated at fewer than 10,000 individuals. The umbrellabirds’ lowland non-breeding habitat has been severely reduced and is still threatened. Primary causes are conversion to banana and more recently to pineapple plantations, expansion of cattle-ranches and non-sustainable logging.

The bare-necked umbrellabird breeds in several protected areas Costa Rica, including La Amistad International Park, Braulio Carrillo National Park and Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.