Procnias averano

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Tyranni
Infraordo: Tyrannides
Parvordo: Tyrannida

Familia: Cotingidae
Genus: Procnias
Species: Procnias averano
Subspecies: P. a. averano – P. a. carnobarba
Name

Procnias averano (Hermann, 1783)

Type locality: northeast Brazil.

Synonyms

Ampelis averano (protonym)
Ampelis variegata Gmelin, 1789 Syst.Nat. 1(2) p. 841 BHL
Casmarhynchos variegata (Gmelin, 1789)
Casmarhynchos variegatus (Gmelin, 1789)

References

Hermann, J. 1783. Tabula affinitatum animalium olim academico specimine edita, nunc uberiore commentario illustrata com annotationibus ad historiam naturalem animalium augendam facientibus. Joh. Georgii Treuttel. Argentorati [Strasbourg]. i–xvi, 1–371 BHL Reference page. p. 211, 214

Vernacular names
English: Bearded Bellbird
español: Campanero barbudo
português: araponga-do-nordeste

The bearded bellbird (Procnias averano), also known as the campanero or anvil-bird, is a passerine bird which occurs in northern South America. The male is about 28 cm (11 in) long with white plumage apart from a brown head and black wings. At his throat hang several black, unfeathered wattles. The female is a little smaller with olive-green head and upper parts, yellow underparts streaked with green and a yellow vent area. The male has a loud, repeated metallic hammering call, as well as various other vocalisations.

There are two subspecies, the nominate subspecies is only found in northeastern Brazil, while the other subspecies occurs in Trinidad, Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, eastern Bolivia and northern Brazil. This bird is found in moist tropical forests where it feeds mainly on fruit and berries which are picked on the wing. The nest is a rather flimsy mass of stems and slender twigs built far out on a branch of an isolated tree. A single buff-coloured egg is laid and incubated solely by the female.
Description

Like other cotingas, the bearded bellbird has a broad hooked-tipped bill, rounded wings, strong legs and a striking appearance. The male is approx 28 cm 11 in long, and weighs 180 g (6+1⁄2 oz). His plumage is white or greyish-white apart from the black wings and warm brown head. He sports a "beard" of un-feathered, black stringy wattles.[2]

The female is smaller, at approx. 27 cm (10+1⁄2 in) and 130 g (4+1⁄2 oz). Her upperparts are olive-green (duskier on the head), most of the underparts are yellow streaked with green, and the vent is pure yellow. She lacks the facial wattles ("beard"). Both sexes have dark eyes, a black bill and grey to black legs.

The males' advertising calls are a very loud dull Bock repeated every few seconds and a somewhat less loud, metallic hammering tonk-tonk-tonk-tonk. It sounds like a hammer rapidly hitting an anvil and is repeated 20–30 times.[3] Additionally, a number of regional calls are known, e.g. an unmusical, almost hissing, bisset in southern Venezuela and a disyllabic teek-terong in northern Venezuela. Apparently, the last mentioned call is no longer heard in Trinidad. The female is essentially silent.
Distribution and habitat

The bearded bellbird is native to Venezuela (as well as adjacent parts of Colombia and Guyana), Trinidad and Tobago and northeastern Brazil, where it occurs in humid forests and woodland.[1] It is mainly resident, but some populations take part in altitudinal migrations; breeding at altitudes of up to 1,900 m (6,200 ft) and spending the non-breeding season in the lowlands. There are two subspecies; the nominate taxon, P. a. averano, in northeastern Brazil and P. a. carnobarba in Venezuela, Trinidad, extreme northeastern Colombia, western Guyana and far northern Brazil. It is a localised and uncommon bird in Venezuela, but is fairly common in Trinidad. The nominate Brazilian race is relatively rare due to extensive habitat destruction in its range and heavy trapping for the cagebird trade, and as such is considered "vulnerable" by Brazilian environmental authority (IBAMA).[4]
Ecology

These arboreal bellbirds feeds entirely on fruit and berries, mainly taken on the wing. Lauraceae and Burseraceae are particularly favoured (as well as Araliaceae and Melastomataceae),[5] and the young are fed regurgitated Lauraceae by the female.

The flimsy nest of twigs is built by the female and usually placed in the outer branches of a tree. The nests are not located in the jungle, but in free-standing trees in semi-cleared areas, probably to reduce the risk from the many effective predators of nests in the jungle such as monkeys, toucans and snakes.[6]

The single brown-mottled, light tan egg is incubated entirely by the female, leaving the polygamous male free to spend much of his time advertising with his distinctive songs. Laying season varies over its range; April-Nov in Trinidad and May-Sep in N. Venezuela. The first recorded egg was discovered near Cumaca, Trinidad, in the mid-1950s.[3]
First identified bearded bellbird nest and egg, held by Dr. Wilbur Downs
First identified bearded bellbird nest and egg, Cumaca, Trinidad
Footnotes

BirdLife International (2016). "Procnias averano". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22700965A93806811. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22700965A93806811.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Snow (2008), p. 132.
ffrench, (1991) p. 188.
"Araponga de barbela (Procnias averano averano) — DTAS". Archived from the original on 2008-03-16. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
Rampersad, Rissa S. (2014). "Procnias averano (Bearded Bellbird)" (PDF). The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago. The University of the West Indies. Retrieved 2023-01-19.

Snow (2008), p. 135.

References

Birds of Venezuela by Hilty, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2nd ed.). Comstock Publishing. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2.
Birds of South America vol. 2 by Ridgely & Tudor (1994), ISBN 0-19-857218-2
Herklots, G. A. C. 1961. The Birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Collins, London.
Snow, D.W. (2008). Birds in Our Life. William Sessions Limited. ISBN 978-1-85072-381-3 (pbk), pp. 132–137.