Birds · Passeriformes · Cotingidae

Plum-throated Cotinga

Cotinga maynana

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The plum-throated cotinga, also called in Spanish cotinga mayna, munami, cotinga turquesa, cotinga de garganta morada, cotinga golipúrpura or cotinga de garganta lila, is a species of passerine bird of the family Cotingidae belonging to the genus Cotinga. It is native to the central and western Amazon basin in South America.

Weight

55 g – 75 g

Size

18 cm – 20 cm

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestFreshwaterHerbivore Diurnal Solitary Bird Rainforest Freshwater

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Fun facts

anatomíaIts bright blue comes not from pigment but from the microscopic structure of its feathers, which scatters light much as the sky does.
Its blue comes from no pigment: it is a structural colour produced by microscopic air cavities in the barbs of the feathers, which scatter blue light. A crushed feather loses the colour completely.
It is one of the hardest birds to see despite its colour: it stays motionless in the high canopy of flooded forest for long stretches, and is only spotted when the sun catches it full on.
Its feathers were used for centuries in Amazonian ceremonial headdresses, and their intense blue made them an object of trade between peoples hundreds of kilometres apart.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Canopy of flooded forest, várzea and riverine forest of western Amazonia
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 25 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 1 egg

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotinga_maynana