Plumage of pure sky blue is offset by a patch of perfectly placed plum.

Meet the Plum-throated cotinga

“Cotinga maynana / Cotinga turquesa / Plum-throated Cotinga (male)” by felixú is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The plum-throated cotinga (Cotinga maynana) is starling-sized, and the males are predominantly blue in color, with a violet-colored throat. and light eyes; outer primaries are black and attenuated. These birds weigh in at 2.5 oz (70 g).

Their subcutaneous and perivisceral fat often takes on the blue color of the berries they prefer.

The female is overall brown with indistinct buff scaling on upperparts and light spotting below; eyes usually light.

“Cotinga maynana / Cotinga turquesa / Plum-throated Cotinga (male)” by felixú is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Plum-throated cotinga are found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

This species, like other members of this genus, can be found in canopies of lowland tropical evergreen forests. However, in stark contrast to other members of this genus, the plum-throated cotinga tends to inhabit more aqueous areas, such as flooded forests, blackwater swamps, and river edges. It may also be found in secondary forests.

A diet of fruit and berries are regularly consumed, often “gorging” at a masting tree or bush such as mistletoe. The fruits are often plucked on the wing.

There is very little known about the breeding season of the plum-throated cotinga, although for the most part, it appears that males display solitarily behavior. The nest is a platform type, often high in a tree fork, or next to an epiphyte. The female incubates and cares for the young alone.

This bird is considered as of least concern on the ICUN red list.

“File:Plum-throated Cotinga (Cotinga maynana) (16781121739).jpg” by Gregory ‘Slobirdr’ Smith is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Watch this bird right here in the video below: