Purple-throated fruitcrow

Appearance

It is a stout medium-sized glossy-black bird. Males have a large purple-red upper throat patch,, extending to the side of the neck. It has a short wide pointed grayish bill, black eyes, and gray legs.

Distribution

It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela; also in southern Central America in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

The purple-throated fruitcrow ranges across northern South America, with populations west of the Andes cordillera extending into Central America to Nicaragua. It goes from the Guianas and Maranhão state, northeastern Brazil in the east, and throughout the Amazon basin to the Andes foothills in the west; it is only absent in the Amazon Basin in the northeast and north central bordering the Guiana Highlands and southern Venezuela; otherwise the range is contiguous east of the Andes. Its population trend is thought to be downwards but it is a common species with a very wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Behavior

Despite its name, the purple-throated fruitcrow feeds on insects as well as fruit, moving through the forest canopy in small chattering groups. It also nests colonially, with little attempt to hide the nests which are rendered more conspicuous by the noisy group of birds nearby.

Habitat

It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela; also in southern Central America in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

The purple-throated fruitcrow ranges across northern South America, with populations west of the Andes cordillera extending into Central America to Nicaragua. It goes from the Guianas and Maranhão state, northeastern Brazil in the east, and throughout the Amazon basin to the Andes foothills in the west; it is only absent in the Amazon Basin in the northeast and north central bordering the Guiana Highlands and southern Venezuela; otherwise the range is contiguous east of the Andes. Its population trend is thought to be downwards but it is a common species with a very wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".