A large black tropical bird of South American rainforests, distinguished by an umbrella-like crest of feathers above its head and a long, retractable, throat-feathered wattle that males inflate during courtship displays.
The umbrella crest
The most striking feature is a prominent, feathered crest that overhangs the head like a shaggy umbrella. Both sexes have the crest, but males have longer, fuller versions. The crest can be raised or lowered slightly but remains generally extended at all times.
Combined with all-black plumage, the crest gives the umbrellabird a remarkable silhouette in rainforest canopies.
The throat wattle
Adult males have a second remarkable feature: a long, retractable throat wattle (caruncle) hanging from the chest. The wattle is up to 35 cm long, covered with short feathers, and inflatable. During courtship displays, males perch high in the canopy, fully inflate the wattle, and produce deep booming calls.
The combination — black bird with feathered umbrella crest and pendulous throat wattle — looks like something between a goth crow and a clerical robe. Field guides frequently struggle to convey the visual reality in illustration.
A booming voice
Male umbrellabirds produce extraordinarily low-pitched calls — among the lowest-pitched of any bird. The booming “thump” is generated by air resonance in the inflated throat wattle and travels through dense rainforest much better than higher-pitched calls. Females and competing males can hear the booms from over a kilometer away.
The deep voice is part of why umbrellabirds are easier to hear than to see in the rainforest canopy.
Three umbrellabirds
Three closely-related umbrellabird species exist:
- Amazonian umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus) — western Amazon Basin.
- Long-wattled umbrellabird (Cephalopterus penduliger) — Pacific lowlands of Colombia and Ecuador. Has the longest wattle.
- Bare-necked umbrellabird (Cephalopterus glabricollis) — Costa Rica and Panama. Listed as Endangered.
All three are restricted to dwindling areas of intact tropical forest, and all three depend on figs and large-fruited trees that suffer from selective logging. Their conservation tracks the broader status of Neotropical forest.