Grey-winged Trumpeter
Encyclopedia
The Grey-winged Trumpeter (Psophia crepitans) is a member of a small family of bird
s, the Psophiidae
. It is found in the northern Amazon Rainforest
and Guiana Shield in tropical South America
. Unlike all other trumpeters
, the rump and back are grey in the Grey-winged Trumpeter.
It has two subspecies
separated by the Rio Negro: The nominate from the Guiana Shield, and napensis from the north-western Amazon. Although their plumage
differences are relatively minor, some have suggested they should be treated as separate species (instead of subspecies) due to genetic
differences. Genetic evidence also suggests ochroptera, traditionally considered a subspecies of the Pale-winged Trumpeter
, actually is closer to the Grey-winged Trumpeter.
The Grey-winged Trumpeter is a dumpy, guineafowl-like
bird with a long neck and legs, and short yellow chicken-like
bill. It is 48–56 cm (18.9–22 in) long and 1.3 kilograms (2.9 lb) in weight. The soft plumage is mainly black, but the feathers of the inner wing are grey.
These are gregarious forest birds which nest in hollow trees, laying 3-4 white eggs that are incubated by all members of a group of five or more birds. When not breeding, the flocks may number 50 or more. Their food is insects and fruit, picked off the ground. They are weak fliers, and will run by preference.
The Grey-winged Trumpeter's song is a low humming, but its call, as its name suggests, is a very loud JEEK or honking TZAAK. This bird is kept as a pet by Amerindians, since it is easily tamed, hunts snake
s, and is a very efficient sentinel, with its unmissable alarm call.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, the Psophiidae
Trumpeter (bird)
The trumpeters are a family of birds restricted to the humid forests of the Amazon and Guiana Shield in South America. They are named for the trumpeting or cackling threat call of the males. The three species resemble chickens in size; they measure 45 to 52 centimetres long and weigh 1 to 1.5...
. It is found in the northern Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
and Guiana Shield in tropical South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Unlike all other trumpeters
Trumpeter (bird)
The trumpeters are a family of birds restricted to the humid forests of the Amazon and Guiana Shield in South America. They are named for the trumpeting or cackling threat call of the males. The three species resemble chickens in size; they measure 45 to 52 centimetres long and weigh 1 to 1.5...
, the rump and back are grey in the Grey-winged Trumpeter.
It has two subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
separated by the Rio Negro: The nominate from the Guiana Shield, and napensis from the north-western Amazon. Although their plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
differences are relatively minor, some have suggested they should be treated as separate species (instead of subspecies) due to genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
differences. Genetic evidence also suggests ochroptera, traditionally considered a subspecies of the Pale-winged Trumpeter
Pale-winged Trumpeter
The Pale-winged Trumpeter , also known as the White-winged Trumpeter, is a species of bird in the Psophiidae family...
, actually is closer to the Grey-winged Trumpeter.
The Grey-winged Trumpeter is a dumpy, guineafowl-like
Guineafowl
The guineafowl are a family of birds in the Galliformes order, although some authorities include the guineafowl as a subfamily, Numidinae, of the family Phasianidae...
bird with a long neck and legs, and short yellow chicken-like
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
bill. It is 48–56 cm (18.9–22 in) long and 1.3 kilograms (2.9 lb) in weight. The soft plumage is mainly black, but the feathers of the inner wing are grey.
These are gregarious forest birds which nest in hollow trees, laying 3-4 white eggs that are incubated by all members of a group of five or more birds. When not breeding, the flocks may number 50 or more. Their food is insects and fruit, picked off the ground. They are weak fliers, and will run by preference.
The Grey-winged Trumpeter's song is a low humming, but its call, as its name suggests, is a very loud JEEK or honking TZAAK. This bird is kept as a pet by Amerindians, since it is easily tamed, hunts snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, and is a very efficient sentinel, with its unmissable alarm call.
External links
- Grey-winged Trumpeter videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Stamps (for EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
) with RangeMap(~accurate) - Photo; Article planktonik.com
- Photo-High Res; Article & Analysis www1.nhl.nl—contains "Range Study Map", High Res photos(6), etc.
- "Gray-winged Trumpeter" photo gallery VIREO Photo-High Res
