Amazonian Umbrellabird

Open encyclopedia reference

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.

Wikipedia contributors, Amazonian umbrellabird; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:52:53.574861+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Cephalopterus ornatus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809

Name authority

É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809

Common name

Amazonian Umbrellabird

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Cotingidae

Genus

Cephalopterus

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classAves
9. orderPasseriformes
10. familyCotingidae
11. genusCephalopterus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809
12. speciesCephalopterus ornatus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Cephalopterus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 38 records assigned to Cotingidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Saint-Hilaire, & Geoffroy, É. (1809). Description D’une Nouvelle Espèce d’oiseau, voisine du corvus nudus et du corvus calvus, et établissement de ces trois espèces en autant de genres, sous les noms de cephalopterus, gymnoderus et gymnocephalus. Annales Du Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Vol. 13. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:5XJ58. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.