Amazonian Umbrellabird Gallery

Cephalopterus ornatus

The Birds of the World website offers these introductory words about the Amazonian Umbrellabird:  The Amazonian Umbrellabird is a large, bizarre cotinga of the Amazon basin. Its namesake umbrella-like crest is distinctive in all plumages, although it is larger and more conspicuous in males. Males also have a long, feathered wattle dangling off their chests. Birds can sometimes be spotted as they forage at upper levels in the forest for fruit and arthropods, but the species is more often seen in lumbering flight over rivers or openings, its crest pushed back into a spike on the back of the head. The deep, booming call of the male carries can be heard at some distance. The Amazonian Umbrellabird occurs both in the foothills of the Andes and in the adjacent lowlands; it is not known whether the foothills populations are in direct contact with those in the lowlands, or if the populations are somewhat disjunct.

I saw and photographed my first Amazonian Umbrellabird on the morning of August 19, 2023 in the Amazon Basin Region of Brazil.  Our small group with Jeff Parker Tours was at Southwild’s Fazenda São Nicolau located on the Juruena River west of Alta Floresta.  That morning we were up early for a boat ride on the river when we spotted an Amazonian Umbrellabird perched in a tree near the river .  For a more detailed description of the trip that included my sighting of this bird look at this blog post.  Here are some of my photos of this unique bird.