Appearance
Overall the chestnut-capped piha is a dark grey bird with a notable chestnut crown on the upper nape and pale cinnamon-colored undertail coverts. The upperparts and wing coverts are a dark grey with paler fringes to most of the feathers. The flight feathers are a dark brownish grey with cinnamon-colored fringes on the secondaries and tertials. As the bird's feathers wear, the pale fringes tend to darken, leaving the bird even more uniform grey in coloration. The underwing is a pale silvery grey. The underparts are a paler shade of grey than the upperparts, particularly on the throat. The tail is a dark greyish-brown, and is noticeably long and forked. The legs and feet are also dark grey, although they have contrasting yellow soles. In addition to its namesake chestnut crown, the bird's head is marked by a dark brown iris and a narrow orbital ring that is a bright yellow. The bird's beak is black and relatively deep and broad at its base, and has a very hooked tip. It also has short rictal bristles and obvious nostrils. Adult chestnut-capped pihas are small for pihas, measuring about 20 to 25 cm long and weighing between 69.4 and 72.2 g.The sexes are similar in appearance, although the male is suspected to be slightly larger than the female. Males also have slightly different primary feathers where the barbules are elongated and stiff, allowing the males to create a whirring noise with their wings. Molting appears to occur around August, with males molting earlier than females.
Juveniles have a far less obvious chestnut crown than the adults, but have brighter and broader rufous fringes on their secondaries and tertials. Their irises are also a greyer shade of dark brown. Juvenile males also have not yet developed the modified primary feathers of the adult.
While no other pihas have been found to share the chestnut-capped piha's habitat, making it unlikely to be confused with another species, it is distinguished from the closely related dusky piha by its relatively smaller size, greyer plumage, distinctive chestnut crown, and yellow orbital ring.
Distribution
The chestnut-capped piha is endemic to the central Andes of Colombia. It is only found on the northern slope of the Cordillera Central mountains near the towns of Amalfi and Anorí in the department of Antioquia. Sixteen distinct populations are known from this area just east of the Nechí River Valley, with most of the populations being located closer to Anorí, likely due to more extensive habitat destruction over a longer period of time near Amalfi. Despite the large number of populations, in 2014 it was estimated that its surviving habitat only covered between 42 and 357.5 km2.Behavior
The piha is typically found between the midstory and lower canopy of its cloud forest, and has been observed joining mixed-species foraging flocks in the upper canopy, although typically only for the amount of time needed for the flock to pass through the piha's territory. The species tends to be sluggish and relatively inactive. While perching, the chestnut-capped piha tends to adapt a more horizontal position than the other pihas, which typically perch very upright. When agitated, the piha flicks its tail upwards and raises its crown feathers. The piha is parasitized by at least one species of tick in the genus "Acaro".The nest and breeding behavior of the chestnut-capped piha has not been described. It is assumed to have similar behavior to the closely related dusky piha, and likely forms leks where males use their modified primary feathers to produce a whirring noise with their wings. In March 2000, a survey found the species was mostly paired off and frequently vocalizing, suggesting that the breeding season was about to begin. A juvenile piha collected in early June was likely only a few months old.
Habitat
The species is limited to living in a very narrow band of extremely humid, premontane cloud forest between 1,400 and 1,925 m in elevation, although it is suspected that birds may venture as low as 1,200 m. This piha seems to be most common between 1,600 and 1,750 m. The cloud forest is dominated by trees in the genera "Guarea", "Pouteria", "Protium", "Roucheria", "Vochysia", "Virola", and "Clusia". The species prefers pristine cloud forest, and may need blocks of at least 30 ha of habitat to thrive; however, it may be able to tolerate some selective logging and habitat fragmentation, although as a lower population density. The chestnut-capped piha is non-migratory.The piha is typically found between the midstory and lower canopy of its cloud forest, and has been observed joining mixed-species foraging flocks in the upper canopy, although typically only for the amount of time needed for the flock to pass through the piha's territory. The species tends to be sluggish and relatively inactive. While perching, the chestnut-capped piha tends to adapt a more horizontal position than the other pihas, which typically perch very upright. When agitated, the piha flicks its tail upwards and raises its crown feathers. The piha is parasitized by at least one species of tick in the genus "Acaro".Reproduction
The nest and breeding behavior of the chestnut-capped piha has not been described. It is assumed to have similar behavior to the closely related dusky piha, and likely forms leks where males use their modified primary feathers to produce a whirring noise with their wings. In March 2000, a survey found the species was mostly paired off and frequently vocalizing, suggesting that the breeding season was about to begin. A juvenile piha collected in early June was likely only a few months old.Food
The chestnut-capped piha is mostly frugivorous, although it will eat some invertebrates. The fruits eaten by this piha are small to medium-sized and come from a variety of plant families, including Myrsinaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Linaceae, Lauraceae, Aquifoliaceae, and Melastomataceae. The laurels in particular seem to be a preferred fruit for the species. The piha typically picks the fruit by hover-gleaning on short sallying flights, although the species will infrequently eat fruits from a perched position. Larger fruits are occasionally bashed against a branch prior to being eaten.References:
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