Olivaceous Piha

Copyright: monacoeye • Santa Lucia, Ecuador, Feb 2011 • Do not copy

Bird name: Olivaceous Piha
Latin: Snowornis cryptolophus
Other: Piha olicacéa (Es)
Family: Cotingidae • Cotingas, Pihas
Range: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar: Grey-tailed Piha, tanagers

Although Birds of Ecuador (Ridgely & Greenfield, 2001) puts the Pihas on the Flycatchers plate (and uses old genus name Lathria), as they look rather similar, in fact, Pihas are related to Cotingas.

I was lucky in that a good Dutch guide (can’t remember name) with another group managed to call this one down from the tree tops at Paz de las Aves. We then observed it swooping and the guide even took a recording. Note light eye-ring.