The life history of the Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger in the Andean foothills of north-west Ecuador: Leks, behaviour, ecology and conservation

Abstract

The rare and threatened Long-wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger inhabits the canopy and mid-storey level of humid to wet foothill and montane forests (150-1,800 m) of the Andean slopes of south-west Colombia and western Ecuador. Here we report on male activity pattern and display behaviour observed at one of two leks recently discovered in the vicinity of Playa de Oro, Rio Santiago, Esmeraldas Province, north-west Ecuador. Courtship behaviour of C. penduliger is compared with the Central American and Amazonian congeners (Bare-necked Umbrellabird C. glabricollis and Amazonian Umbrellabird C. ornatus). The lek of C. penduliger was active during the whole study period (February 1997 to January 1998), but both lek structure and daytime activity pattern changed markedly within the observation period.