form pairs and occupy territories, while others are
highly polygynous, the cocks mating with many hens.
In a few species, such as the cock- of- the- rocks (genus
Rupicola), whose complex breeding behavior is detailed
in chapter 10, and the Screaming Piha (discussed
below), males gather to court females in mating
areas called leks. Bellbirds (also discussed below) are
known for their piercing bell- like call notes, pihas for
their loud “screams,” cotingas for their shiny metallic
plumage, cock- of- the- rocks for their golden- orange
or orange- red coloration and fan of head feathers, and
umbrellabirds (genus Cephalopterus; plate 15- 67) for
their extraordinary umbrella- like head plumes and
inflatable air sac on the breast. Cotingas generally
make small, inconspicuous nests, incubate but a single
egg, and have a prolonged incubation period. Bellbirds
typically incubate for approximately 30 days, and cock-
of- the- rocks for 40 or more days. This long incubation
period is probably related to feeding nestlings almost
exclusively fruit, which is low in protein but high in fat
and carbohydrate.
Screaming Pihas and Clanging Bellbirds
Sexual selection has dominated the evolution of the
cotingas. The description in chapter 10 of lekking
behavior in the Guianan Cock- of- the- rock (Rupicola
rupicola), one of the “fanciest” of the cotingas, provided
an example of how sexual selection may dominate
a species’ evolution. But in discussing cotingas, it
is worth adding a bit more about some of the most
distinctively sounding birds in Neotropical forests.
These include the various bellbird species and a rather
nondescript cotinga with the name Screaming Piha
(Lipaugus vociferans). We’ll start with the piha.
The Screaming Piha is a common bird throughout
much of Amazonia. Anyone walking in lowland forest
will eventually be likely to hear it. Its courtship call is a
short, demonstrative, ringing, loud WEE- WEEE- HAH!
(with emphasis on the first two notes). Male Screaming
Pihas select trees in which to display, but the display
is essentially all in its voice (note its scientific name,
vociferans). Male pihas distribute themselves in what
are termed dispersed leks. Males do not see one another.
A male will perch 5– 8 m (16.4– 26.25 ft) high in a tree,
remain essentially motionless, and just explode with
its voice. Females choose among the various calling
males, presumably selecting the “voice” they like the
best. Male and female Screaming Pihas look alike—
nondescript, slender, robin- size birds, light gray on
the face and breast and uniformly dark gray on wings,
back, and tail. A piha is a far cry from a male cock- of-
the- rock. Screaming Pihas can be surprisingly hard to
see, as they are so drab, and their voice is ventriloquial.Plate 15- 66. The Red- ruffed Fruitcrow (Pyroderus scutatus) is
generally uncommon but ranges widely in Amazonia and is
one of the largest of the cotingas. Photo by Edison Buenaño.
Plate 15- 67. The Bare- necked Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus
glabricollis) of Costa Rica and Panama is a large cotinga often
encountered along rivers sitting atop a high perch. This is a
male. Photo by Gina Nichol.286 chapter 15 neotropical birds: the bustling crowd