Green-and-black Fruiteater

The Green-and-black Fruiteater is a plump, short-tailed cotinga of the Andean cloud forest belt. Males are striking, with a glossy black hood, throat, and upper breast sharply set off against bright grass-green upperparts, a green lower breast and flanks, and a yellow belly patch bordered by fine yellow scaling, plus a small red eye-ring and reddish bill base.

Females lack the black hood, being uniform green above with fine yellow scalloping below, closely resembling several related fruiteater species. Both sexes share the family's characteristic stocky, big-headed, short-tailed build.

As a member of the cotinga family, the fruiteater spends much of its time sitting quietly and inconspicuously in the mid-story or canopy, revealing itself mainly through its distinctive call and its habit of plucking fruit while perched or in brief sallying flights.

Key field marks

• Male: glossy black head, throat, and upper breast against bright green upperparts
• Yellow belly patch with fine yellow scaling on the lower underparts
• Short tail and stocky, big-headed cotinga shape
• Female: plain green above, yellow-scalloped below, lacking the black hood

Similar species

Several congeneric fruiteaters overlap in Andean cloud forest, including the Barred Fruiteater and Red-banded Fruiteater; males are distinguished chiefly by the pattern and extent of black on the head/breast and the color of belly markings, while females are best separated by elevation, range, and voice. Golden-breasted Fruiteater lacks the black hood entirely.

Habitat

This species inhabits humid montane cloud forest, forest edge, and adjacent secondary growth, favoring the mid-story and canopy where fruiting shrubs and epiphyte-laden branches are abundant.

Range

It occurs along the Andes from western Venezuela through Colombia and Ecuador to central Peru and Bolivia, typically between about 1,500 and 3,200 meters elevation.

Migration

The Green-and-black Fruiteater is largely sedentary, though some local elevational movement may occur in response to fruit availability.

Behavior

Fruiteaters are quiet, unobtrusive birds that perch upright and motionless for long periods, making them easy to overlook despite the male's bright pattern. They typically forage alone or in pairs, occasionally joining mixed-species canopy flocks.

Voice

The call is a distinctive, far-carrying, somewhat froglike or nasal note, often a short repeated 'currr' or buzzy trill given from a concealed perch.

Feeding

It feeds mainly on small fruits and berries plucked directly from a perch or taken in a brief hovering sally, and it also gleans insects from foliage.

Nesting and breeding

As with most cotingas, nesting details are poorly documented; the female is believed to build a small cup nest and incubate alone, with little or no involvement from the male, typical of the family's polygynous or promiscuous mating system.