Fiery-throated Fruiteater Pipreola chlorolepidota Scientific name definitions

The Fiery-throated Fruiteater is the smallest of the genus Pipreola, almost resembling a large manakin, although it appears to be most closely related to the Scarlet-breasted Fruiteater (Pipreola frontalis). Indeed, these two species are largely elevationally parapatric, but they do occur syntopically at several localities. The male Fiery-throated Fruiteater is entirely bright grass green above, with white-tipped tertials; the throat and upper breast are scarlet, while the rest of the underparts are green. It occurs over the east slope of the Andes from southern Colombia to central Peru, where the species inhabits humid foothill forest including mature second growth. Its vocalisations are easily overlooked. The Fiery-throated Fruiteater is generally found alone or in pairs, like its congenerics, and is sometimes observed following mixed-species flocks. The species has also been recorded in small groups of up to four individuals at fruiting trees.

12–13 cm; one male 28 g, one female 31 g. The smallest fruiteater. Male has green head, often some dusky on face, green upperparts  , wings and tail, small white tips on remiges and rectrices, large and conspicuous white tips on tertials  ; yellow to orange bib, becoming red  on chest; rest of underparts green, yellowish on central belly; iris cream or greyish-white; bill orange with black tip; legs orange. Female lacks orange bib, is barred green and yellow below, more yellow on throat and more green on breast, has duskier bill.

E slope of Andes from S Colombia (SE Cauca, W Caquetá) S to C & SE Peru (S to Pasco, also isolated records to extreme E Puno).

Very short  , high-pitched “tsi”  .

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Poorly known. Rare in most of range, locally uncommon at a few sites; recorded in ten places in Colombia (1 Kirwan, G. M., and G. Green (2011). Cotingas and Manakins. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) (sight records (2 Donegan, T., Salaman, P., Caro, D. and McMullan, M. (2010). Revision of the status of bird species occurring in Colombia 2010. Conserv. Colombiana 13: 25–54. Close ) and one specimen (3 Ayerbe-Quiñones, F., Gómez, L.G. and Ramírez, J., (2009). Nuevos registros del Frutero Pigmeo (Pipreola chlorolepidota), primer ejemplar colectado en Colombia. Novedades Colombianas. 9(1): 38-41. Close ) ). Possibly less rare than it appears to be; very inconspicuous behaviour may obscure its true status and large areas of potential habitat are inaccessible. Foothill forests within its range are under severe pressure, and many already converted to agriculture and cattle pasture; logging and other commercial activities (e.g. mining, oil exploration) are further threats. In Colombia, road construction is opening the agricultural frontier. Based on a model of future deforestation in the Amazon basin (4 Soares-Filho, B. S., D. C. Nepstad, L. M. Curran, G. C. Cerqueira, R. A. Garcia, C. A. Ramos, E. Voll, A. McDonald, P. Lefebvre, and P. Schlesinger (2006). Modelling conservation in the Amazon Basin. Nature 440:520–523. Close ), this species is expected to lose a quarter of suitable habitat within its distribution over three generations (10 years) (5 Bird, J. P., J. M. Buchanan, A. C. Lees, R. P. Clay, P. F. Develey, I. Yépez, and S. H. M. Butchart (2011). Integrating spatially explicit habitat projections into extinction risk assessments: a reassessment of Amazonian avifauna incorporating projected deforestation. Diversity and Distributions 18(3):432–439. Close ). Occurs in Cueva de los Guácharos (IUCN Cat. II; 90 km²), Alto Fragua Indi-Wasi (IUCN Cat. II; 680 km²), Serranía de los Churumbelos (IUCN Cat. II; 972 km²) and Complejo Volcánico Doña Juana-Cascabel (IUCN Cat. II; 659 km²) National Parks in Colombia, Sumaco Napo-Galeras (IUCN Cat. II; 2052 km²) and Sangay (IUCN Cat. II; 5177 km²) National Parks in Ecuador, and Cordillera Azul National Park (IUCN Cat. II; 13,532 km²) in Peru.