Plantcutter
Encyclopedia
The plantcutters are a group of passerine
bird
s in the cotinga
family Cotingidae. They were previously in their own family, Phytotomidae. The three plantcutters are all placed in the genus
Phytotoma.
These are robust birds of open woodland, scrub and farmland in southern and western South America
. They resemble finch
es, and are among the few primarily folivorous
birds, though they also take some fruits, berries and flowers. The common name
is a reference to their stubby bills with fine serrations along the cutting edge – an adaption for cutting plant material.
They are sexually dichromatic, with males having black wings with white pacthes, and at least partially rufous underparts. The plumage of the females is greyish-white or brownish-white with dense dark streaking throughout.
These pair-living birds lay 2 - 4 brown-spotted green egg
s in a tree nest. Only the female incubates, but both sexes participate in the nest-building and feeding of the chicks. The chicks are fed almost exclusively with insects.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
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 in the cotinga
Cotinga
The cotingas are a large family of passerine bird species found in Central America and tropical South America. Cotingas are birds of forests or forest edges, which mostly eat fruit or insects and fruit. Comparatively little is known about this diverse group, although all have broad bills with...
family Cotingidae. They were previously in their own family, Phytotomidae. The three plantcutters are all placed in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Phytotoma.
These are robust birds of open woodland, scrub and farmland in southern and western 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...
. They resemble finch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
es, and are among the few primarily folivorous
Folivore
In zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less energy than other types of foods, and often toxic compounds. For this reason folivorous animals tend to have long digestive tracts and slow metabolisms....
birds, though they also take some fruits, berries and flowers. The common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
is a reference to their stubby bills with fine serrations along the cutting edge – an adaption for cutting plant material.
They are sexually dichromatic, with males having black wings with white pacthes, and at least partially rufous underparts. The plumage of the females is greyish-white or brownish-white with dense dark streaking throughout.
These pair-living birds lay 2 - 4 brown-spotted green egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s in a tree nest. Only the female incubates, but both sexes participate in the nest-building and feeding of the chicks. The chicks are fed almost exclusively with insects.
Species
- White-tipped PlantcutterWhite-tipped PlantcutterThe White-tipped Plantcutter is a species of bird in the Cotingidae family. As the other plantcutters, this species is sexually dimorphic and folivorous. It is the found widely in woodland and scrub of south-eastern and south-central South America...
, or Reddish Plantcutter, Phytotoma rutila - Rufous-tailed PlantcutterRufous-tailed PlantcutterThe Rufous-tailed Plantcutter is a fairly small passerine bird of southern South America, now placed in the cotinga family....
or Chilean Plantcutter, Phytotoma rara - Peruvian PlantcutterPeruvian PlantcutterThe Peruvian Plantcutter is an endangered species of bird in the Cotingidae family. As the other plantcutters, this species is sexually dimorphic and folivorous. It is endemic to scrub and woodland in north-western Peru, and is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* BirdLife International 2005. ...
, Phytotoma raimondii