Chestnut-capped Piha
CR

Chestnut-capped Piha

Lipaugus weberi

Declining

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut-capped_piha

Overview

The chestnut-capped piha is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is endemic to a small portion of Colombia's central Andes in the department of Antioquia. The chestnut-capped piha resides only in a narrow band of humid premontane cloud forest.

It is a dark grey passerine with a notable chestnut crown on the upper nape and pale cinnamon-colored undertail coverts. Adults are small for pihas, measuring about 20 to 25 cm long. Males have modified primary feathers with elongated and stiff barbules that enable them to create a whirring noise with their wings, which the piha likely uses for display purposes.

Its call is extremely loud and can be heard over 100 m (330 ft) away. The chestnut-capped piha is mostly frugivorous, although it will eat some invertebrates. Little is known about the species' breeding ecology, although it is believed to be a lekking species.

Lipaugus weberi faces severe population decline primarily due to extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation within its restricted range in the Chocó bioregion. Mining activities, particularly gold extraction, have degraded critical forest areas, while agricultural expansion continues to reduce available habitat. The species' extremely limited distribution makes it highly vulnerable to any habitat loss, with logging operations targeting the humid lowland forests essential for its survival.

Threat summary

Habitat

This cotinga inhabits humid lowland forests and forest edges in the Chocó bioregion of western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. It prefers dense, primary forest canopy areas with high humidity and abundant fruiting trees typical of tropical rainforest ecosystems.

Forest· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies managementSpecies recovery

Other threatened species in COTINGIDAE

Banded CotingaCR

Banded Cotinga

Cotinga maculata

Declining
VU

Turquoise Cotinga

Cotinga ridgwayi

Declining
EN

Bare-necked Umbrellabird

Cephalopterus glabricollis

Declining
EN

Apolo Cotinga

Phibalura boliviana

Declining

Threatened in Colombia

EN

Helena's Marsupial Frog

Gastrotheca helenae

Stable
VU

Cavendishia macrocephala

Unknown
EN

Cavendishia sessiliflora

Unknown
VU

Macleania crassa

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Chestnut-capped Piha classified as Critically Endangered?
Chestnut-capped Piha is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Lipaugus weberi faces severe population decline primarily due to extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation within its restricted range in the Chocó bioregion. Mining activities, particularly gold extraction, have degraded critical forest areas, while agricultural expansion continues to reduce available habitat. The species' extremely limited distribution makes it highly vulnerable to any habitat loss, with logging operations targeting the humid lowland forests essential for its survival.
Where does Chestnut-capped Piha live?
Chestnut-capped Piha occurs in Colombia. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Chestnut-capped Piha?
The main threats to Chestnut-capped Piha are 1.1, 11.1, 2.1, and 2.3. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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