Lipaugus unirufus
The Rufous Piha (Lipaugus unirufus) is a striking, medium-sized cotinga renowned for its uniform cinnamon-rufous plumage and powerful vocalizations. Measuring approximately 22-24 cm (8.7-9.4 in) in length and weighing 58-75 grams, its entire body is a rich rufous color, often brighter on the underparts and tail, darkening slightly on the back and wings. Key field marks include its robust, stocky build, relatively large head, short tail, and a stout, slightly hooked bill that is dark above and...
Found in humid evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, forest edges, and tall secondary growth, typically at elevations ranging from 300 to 1800 meters, occasionally lower or higher.
Primarily frugivorous, feeding on a variety of fruits, especially those of Lauraceae, and supplementing its diet with large insects such as cicadas, mantids, and beetles, caught by sallying.
Primarily diurnal and often solitary, the Rufous Piha can be quite secretive despite its loud calls, often perching motionless for extended periods. It employs a sit-and-wait foraging strategy, sallying out from a perch to snatch fruit or hawk large insects in mid-air. Males are territorial, voca...
The Rufous Piha is a resident species found throughout a broad range in southern Mexico and Central America, extending south into northwestern South America. Its breeding range encompasses southern Mexico (Chiapas) through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. From there...
Least Concern
- The Rufous Piha is one of the loudest birds in the Neotropical forest, with calls that can carry for long distances. - Its distinctive call has been described as sounding like a whip cracking or an explosive 'POW!', earning it the nickname 'Whipbird' in some regions. - The name 'Piha' itself is...