Listen to the Amazonian umbrellabird
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Amazonian umbrellabird
The Amazonian umbrellabird is a bird in the family Cotingidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”.
What does the Amazonian umbrellabird sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
The recordings here are labelled as song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The Amazonian umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae native to the Amazon basin with a separate population on the eastern slopes of the Andes. The male bird is entirely black, with a black crest and inflatable wattle on the throat, and at 48 to 55 cm (19 to 22 in), may be the largest passerine bird in South America. The female is slightly smaller. Both have an undulating flight, described as woodpecker-like, and the male has a loud, booming call.
The Amazonian umbrellabird feeds on fruit and berries, and may opportunistically take insects and spiders. It forages singly, in pairs or in small groups, in the forest canopy, hopping from branch to branch, but is a secretive species and is more often heard than seen.
Related birds in the genus Cephalopterus
More from the family Cotingidae
Andean cock-of-the-rock
Rupicola peruvianus
Guianan cock-of-the-rock
Rupicola rupicola
Screaming piha
Lipaugus vociferans
Red-crested cotinga
Ampelion rubrocristatus
Capuchinbird
Perissocephalus tricolor
Scaled fruiteater
Ampelioides tschudii
Rufous piha
Lipaugus unirufus
Black-necked red cotinga
Phoenicircus nigricollis
Purple-throated cotinga
Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema
Orange-breasted fruiteater
Pipreola jucunda
Dusky piha
Lipaugus fuscocinereus
Frequently asked questions
What does an Amazonian umbrellabird sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the Amazonian umbrellabird on this page, including its song. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the Amazonian umbrellabird endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Amazonian umbrellabird as “least concern”.
What family does the Amazonian umbrellabird belong to?
The Amazonian umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus) belongs to the family Cotingidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Song · Napo: 3 km NW Guagua Sumaco, Ecuador by Niels Krabbe – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q2469246 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Amazonian umbrellabird – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Francesco Veronesi from Italy – CC BY-SA 2.0