Giant conebill

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Giant conebill
Giant Conebill, Cajas, Ecuador (5771232969).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thraupidae
Genus: Conirostrum
Species:
C. binghami
Binomial name
Conirostrum binghami
(Chapman, 1919)
Conirostrum binghami map.svg
Synonyms

Oreomanes fraseri

The giant conebill (Conirostrum binghami) is a small passerine bird, one of the tanager family. It is closely related to the regular conebills Conirostrum though it differs in its larger size and nuthatch-like foraging habits.

Contents

The giant conebill is 15 centimetres (5.9 in) in length and weighs 22–27 grams (0.78–0.95 oz). It is grey above, deep chestnut below, and with a white patch on the cheeks. It is found in the Andes from Colombia to Ecuador, and Peru to Bolivia. It lives in Polylepis trees of the family Rosaceae.

The giant conebill lives individually or in groups of 5 or less. It peels bark off Polylepis trees to find insects. It also eats aphids and sugary solutions secreted by Gynoxys . The species is a seasonal breeder, nesting at the start of the rainy season (September to December in Bolivia where it has been studied). The nest is an open cup set on the branches of Polylepis, and the average clutch size is 1.8 eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs, feed the chicks and remove the fecal sacs. [2]

Its decline is attributed to the destruction and fragmentation of Polylepis woodland.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy is complicated. The giant conebill was formally described in 1860 by the English zoologist Philip Sclater from a specimen collected by Louis Fraser. Sclater coined the binomial name Oreomanes fraseri. [3] [4] A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the giant conebill was embedded in a clade containing members of the genus Conirostrum . [5] As Conirostrum d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1838, was introduced before Oreomanes Sclater, 1860, Conirostrum has priority and Oreomanes was merged into Conirostrum. But as the cinereous conebill has a recognised subspecies, Conirostrum cinereum fraseri Sclater, 1859, the specific name of the giant conebill was changed to that of its junior synonym Oreomanes binghami. This had been introduced in 1919 by the American ornithologist Frank Chapman based on a specimen collected near Machu Picchu in Peru. The specific epithet was chosen to honour Hiram Bingham. [6] [7] [8] The giant conebill is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanager</span> Family of birds

The tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotropical birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honeycreeper</span> Genus of birds

The typical honeycreepers form a genus Cyanerpes of small birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. They are found in the tropical New World from Mexico south to Brazil. They occur in the forest canopy, and, as the name implies, they are specialist nectar feeders with long curved bills.

<i>Tangara</i> (bird) Genus of birds

Tangara is a large genus of birds of the tanager family. It includes 27 species. All are from the Neotropics, and while most are fairly widespread, some have small distributions and are threatened. They are fairly small, ranging in size from 11.5–15 centimetres (4.5–5.9 in). This genus includes some of the most spectacularly colored birds of the world.

<i>Conirostrum</i> Genus of birds

Typical conebills belong to the tanager genus Conirostrum. They are small tanagers (9–14 cm) found in the forests of South America. They feed in pairs or small flocks by gleaning insects from foliage.

<i>Tachyphonus</i> Genus of birds

Tachyphonus is a genus of birds in the tanager family Thraupidae.

<i>Conothraupis</i> Genus of birds

Conothraupis is a genus of South American birds in the tanager family Thraupidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-shouldered grosbeak</span> Species of bird

The yellow-shouldered grosbeak is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of its genus Parkerthraustes. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-bellied mountain tanager</span> Species of bird

The rufous-bellied mountain tanager or rufous-bellied saltator is a species of songbird in the tanager family Thraupidae and is the only member of the genus Pseudosaltator. It is found in the eastern Andes of southern Bolivia and extreme northern Argentina. It occurs mostly at altitudes from 3000 m to 4000 m. Its habitat is open land, including cultivated land, that has patches of scrub, alder trees, or Polylepis trees. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masked mountain tanager</span> Species of bird

The masked mountain tanager is a vulnerable species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus Tephrophilus. This large and colourful tanager is endemic to elfin forest, woodland and shrub in the Andean highlands of southern Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru. It is generally rare or uncommon, and is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plushcap</span> Species of bird

The plushcap is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae and it is the only member of the genus Catamblyrhynchus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-headed tanager</span> Species of bird

The grey-headed tanager is a widely distributed species of small Neotropical bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus Eucometis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-collared honeycreeper</span> Species of bird

The golden-collared honeycreeper is an uncommon species of Neotropical bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus Iridophanes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-naped tanager</span> Species of bird

The golden-naped tanager is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in South America from Colombia to Bolivia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-and-yellow tanager</span> Species of bird

The blue-and-yellow tanager is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-capped tanager</span> Species of bird

The blue-capped tanager is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It was formerly placed in the genus Thraupis but is now the only species in the genus Sporathraupis.

<i>Pseudospingus</i> Genus of birds

Pseudospingus is a genus of warbler-like birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. They are found in highland forests in South America.

<i>Kleinothraupis</i> Genus of birds

Kleinothraupis is a genus of warbler-like birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. They are found in highland forest in South America.

<i>Sphenopsis</i> Genus of birds

Sphenopsis is a genus of warbler-like birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. They are found in highland forest of South America.

<i>Ixothraupis</i> Genus of birds

Ixothraupis is a genus of Neotropical birds in the tanager family Thraupidae.

<i>Stilpnia</i> Genus of birds

Stilpnia is a genus of Neotropical birds in the tanager family Thraupidae.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Conirostrum binghami". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22722114A94749917. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22722114A94749917.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Cahill, J; E. Matthysen; N. E. Huanca (2008). "Nesting biology of the Giant Conebill (Oreomanes fraseri) in the High Andes of Bolivia". Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 120 (3): 545–549. doi:10.1676/07-066.1. S2CID   85970323.
  3. Sclater, Philip Lutley (1860). "List of Birds collected by Mr. Fraser in the vicinity of Quito, and during excursions to Pichincha and Chimborazo; with notes and descriptions of new species". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 28: 73-83 [75, Plate 159].
  4. Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1970). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 13. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. pp. 398–399.
  5. Burns, K.J.; Shultz, A.J.; Title, P.O.; Mason, N.A.; Barker, F.K.; Klicka, J.; Lanyon, S.M.; Lovette, I.J. (2014). "Phylogenetics and diversification of tanagers (Passeriformes: Thraupidae), the largest radiation of Neotropical songbirds". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 75: 41–77. Bibcode:2014MolPE..75...41B. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.02.006. PMID   24583021.
  6. Burns, K.J.; Unitt, P.; Mason, N.A. (2016). "A genus-level classification of the family Thraupidae (Class Aves: Order Passeriformes)". Zootaxa. 4088 (3): 329–354. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4088.3.2. PMID   27394344.
  7. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2020). "Tanagers and allies". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  8. Chapman, Frank M. (1919). "Descriptions of proposed new birds from Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 41: 323–333 [331–332]. hdl:2246/1747.

Further reading