Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about umbrellabirds. Man, birds are weird. They come in some crazy shapes and sizes and today’s subjects are no exception. There are three species of umbrellabirds. First are the bare-necked umbrellabirds. These birds have a bright red, featherless patch on their necks and chests. This is very noticeable in males though less conspicuous in females. Bare necked umbrellabirds are sometimes confused with a similar looking bird called the purple throated fruit crow, but they aren’t related. This species of umbrellabird is considered endangered, and we’ll be discussing threats to their survival later in this episode.

Next is the Amazonian umbrellabird, who has the largest range of any of the three species. I’m sure you can put together where they live based on their name. This species is listed as least concern, though it’s believed their populations may be declining. These birds are all black and have wattles that hang from their throats, but these wattles are nothing compared to the wattles found in the final umbrellabird species.

The long wattled umbrellabird is aptly named. A male’s wattle may reach nearly a foot (30.5 centimeters) in length when fully extended. This wattle is used to amplify a male’s voice when he’s attempting to attract the attention of a female. This wattle, however, can be retracted when it’s not in use, such as when the bird is flying. The wattle is covered in scale like feathers, and the bird can puff these up making the wattle look like a dangling black pinecone from his throat. Seriously, if we could find a creative commons video of it we would show you, but we can’t so we’ll just add a link to the description. Female umbrellabirds have wattles, too, but their wattles don’t reach the size of the males’. Long wattled umbrellabirds are considered vulnerable to extinction.

Umbrellabirds in general look somewhat like crows going through a permanent emo phase with their black plumage and floofy, eye covering head feathers. Females have this similar headgear, though it’s not as prominent for them. Umbrellabirds are about the same size as crows, too, though females are smaller than the males. Umbrellabirds live in northern South America and parts of Central America. All three species suffer from habitat loss. These birds spend their breeding months in protected highland areas, but spend the rest of the year in lowland habitats which remain largely unprotected from deforestation.

Umbrellabirds are tropical birds and spend a lot of their time perched in the forest midstory, dense understory, or canopy, so they need trees to survive! They’re are susceptible to large birds of prey, monkeys, and snakes, and they aren’t the best fliers. Umbrellabirds would rather hoop between tree branches than go great distances to fly. They’re usually quiet birds, but they can raise some noise during the breeding season which typically lasts from March to September depending on their location. During this time, male umbrellabirds gather together in display areas, called leks, and will let out loud, low calls that some have described as similar to a didgeridoo. There are few observations of nesting behaviors in umbrellabirds, but it’s currently believed that the female constructs the nest, lays a single egg, and incubates that egg for approximately 25 days. When the baby hatches, it is fed a diet similar to its parents which includes a lot of fruit as well as insects, other arthropods, lizards, and frogs.

For more facts on umbrella birds, check out the links in the description. Thank you to John-O Martin, Ahmet Kıran, and şermin kıran for today’s request. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.