- Gymnostinops montezuma
Identification
Male is 50 cm long and weighs 520g; the smaller female is 38 cm long and weighs 230g. Chestnut, black head and rump, yellow tail with two dark central feathers, bare blue cheek patch, pink wattle, brown iris, long bill, black at the base with a red tip.
Distribution
Mexico, Belize, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species. It is sometimes included in genus Psarocolius.
Habitat
Forest canopy, edges and old plantations.
Behaviour
Diet includes small vertebrates, large insects, nectar, and fruit, including bananas and Cecropia spikes.
It is a colonial breeder building a hanging woven nest made of fibres and vines. 2 dark-spotted white or buff eggs are laid and incubated for 15 days; the young fledge in 30. There are usually about 30 nests in a colony.
