Plantcutter

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Plantcutters
Rufous-tailed Plantcutter.jpg
Rufous-tailed plantcutter (Phytotoma rara)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cotingidae
Genus: Phytotoma
Molina, 1782
Type species
Phytotoma rara [1]
Molina, 1782
Species
  • see text

The plantcutters are a group of passerine birds in the cotinga family, Cotingidae. They were previously in their own family, Phytotomidae. The three plantcutters are all placed in the genus Phytotoma.

These are robust birds of open woodland, scrub and farmland in southern and western South America. They resemble finches, and are among the few primarily folivorous birds, though they also take some fruits, berries and flowers. The common name is a reference to their stubby bills with fine serrations along the cutting edge – an adaptation for cutting plant material.

They are sexually dichromatic, with males having black wings with white patches, and at least partially rufous underparts. The plumage of the females is greyish-white or brownish-white with dense dark streaking throughout.

These pair-living birds lay 2 - 4 brown-spotted green eggs in a tree nest. Only the female incubates, but both sexes participate in the nest-building and feeding of the chicks. The chicks are fed almost exclusively with insects.

Species

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
White-tipped Plantcutter (Phytotoma rutila).jpg Phytotoma rutila White-tipped plantcutter or reddish plantcutterlowlands east of the Andes
Rufous-tailed Plantcutter RWD.jpg Phytotoma rara Rufous-tailed plantcutter or Chilean plantcutterChile and western Argentina
Phytotoma raimondii Peruvian plantcutter north-western Peru

Related Research Articles

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

Neotropical bellbird is the common name given to passerine birds of the genus Procnias, found in the Neotropics. They are members of the cotinga family. They are all restricted to tropical or subtropical humid forested regions, often in low mountains or foothills. As indicated by their common name, they all have extremely loud calls that are reminiscent of a metal bell being rung.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-tailed tityra</span> Species of bird

The black-tailed tityra is a medium-sized passerine bird of tropical South America. The tityras have been placed in the cotinga or the tyrant flycatcher families by various authors. But the weight of evidence strongly suggest they and their closest relatives are better separated as Tityridae; the AOU for example advocates this separation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean cock-of-the-rock</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three-wattled bellbird</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-tailed plantcutter</span> Species of bird

The rufous-tailed plantcutter, sometimes called the Chilean plantcutter, is a passerine bird of southern South America, now placed in the cotinga family. It is a medium-sized bird about 19 centimetres (7.5 in) long with a long black tail with a red base. Males have greyish-brown upper parts, a chestnut crown and breast, and dark facial markings. Females are similar but lack the chestnut crown and have streaked, buff underparts. There is a wing bar which is white in the male and buff in the female. This is a fairly common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose-throated becard</span> Species of bird

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The banded cotinga is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is endemic to southeastern Brazil.

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

The Peruvian plantcutter is an endangered species of bird in the family Cotingidae. As the other plantcutters, this species is sexually dimorphic and folivorous. It is endemic to scrub and woodland in north-western Peru, and is threatened by habitat loss.

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The white-tipped plantcutter is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. As the other plantcutters, this species is sexually dimorphic and folivorous. It is found widely in woodland and scrub of south-eastern and south-central South America. It is mainly found in lowlands east of the Andes, and ranges well into the highlands in Bolivia.

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The black-and-gold cotinga is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is endemic to humid Atlantic Forest in the highlands of the Serra do Mar in south-eastern Brazil. It is threatened by habitat loss, but remains common within several national parks, e.g. Serra dos Órgãos and Itatiaia. Males are highly vocal, and their loud, piercing whistle is frequently heard. It is strongly sexually dimorphic. Except for a bright yellow wing-speculum, males are superficially similar to the male common blackbird, while the far less conspicuous females are overall olive. The female resemble both sexes of the only other member of the genus, the grey-winged cotinga, but is larger, has a thicker bill, and yellowish-olive remiges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-naped xenopsaris</span> Species of bird in South America

The white-naped xenopsaris, also known as the reed becard and white-naped becard, is a species of suboscine bird in the family Tityridae, the only member of the genus Xenopsaris. It is found in South America, in humid subtropical and tropical savanna climates in most of the countries east of the Andes: Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. Living in open woodland and other open forest habitats, it is mostly sedentary, though some populations may be migratory. The species, which is closely related to becards and tityras, was thought to be either a tyrant-flycatcher or cotinga, before it was placed in Tityridae.

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References

  1. "Cotingidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-24.