| Bare-necked fruitcrow | |
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| Drawing byJohn Keulemans 1901 | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Cotingidae |
| Genus: | Gymnoderus E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809 |
| Species: | G. foetidus |
| Binomial name | |
| Gymnoderus foetidus | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Thebare-necked fruitcrow (Gymnoderus foetidus) is a species ofbird in the familyCotingidae, the cotingas.[2] It is found in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay.[3]
The bare-necked fruitcrow wasformally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae under thebinomial nameGracula foetida.[4][5] Linnaeus specified thetype locality as America but in 1902 the locality was restricted toSurinam.[5][6] The bare-necked fruitcrow is now the only species placed in thegenusGymnoderus that was introduced in 1809 by the French naturalistÉtienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire.[7][2] The genus name combines theAncient Greekgumnos meaning "bare" or "naked" withdera meaning "neck" or "throat". Thespecific epithetfoetidus isLatin meaning "stinking".[8] The species ismonotypic: nosubspecies are recognized.[2]
A largemolecular phylogenetic study of thesuboscines published in 2020 found that the bare-necked fruitcrow wassister to theblack-faced cotinga (Conioptilon mcilhennyi).[9]
The bare-necked fruitcrow is 34 to 39 cm (13 to 15 in) long; one individual weighed 220 g (7.8 oz). Both sexes have bare blue or bluish white skin on their lower face and neck; on both the skin drapes in folds though much less so on the female than male. The rest of their heads have short velvety feathers and their flanks have large patches ofpowder down. Adult males are otherwise mostly black except that most of their wing is silvery gray. Females are smaller than males; adults are mostly slaty gray with a faint paler scaly pattern. Juveniles are mostly white; immatures progress from there to adult plumage over two to three years.[10]
The bare-necked fruitcrow is primarily a bird of theAmazon Basin, although its range skirts much of theNegro River watershed in the northern part of it and also includes the basin of theOrinoco River. One arm of its range extends from far eastern Colombia and southwestern Venezuela across far northern Brazil andthe Guianas to the Atlantic and south from there to join the rest of the range. The bulk of its range extends from south-central Colombia, eastern Ecuador, and eastern Peru east through northern Bolivia and north-central Brazil. In Brazil the main range's northern edge is roughly from west-centralAmazonas east toAmapá and its southern edge from northernMato Grosso do Sul northeast to the Atlantic inMaranhão.[10]
The bare-necked fruitcrow inhabits humid forest includingvárzea andterra firme types. It tends to be most frequent along rivers and around lakes.[10][11] In elevation it is found below 500 m (1,600 ft) in Colombia, below 300 m (1,000 ft) in Ecuador, below 600 m (2,000 ft) in Peru, and below 150 m (500 ft) in Venezuela.[12][13][14][15]
The bare-necked fruitcrow is often seen in small flocks along and crossing rivers, but it is not known if this movement is local or represents seasonal migration.[10][14]
The bare-necked fruitcrow feeds mostly on fruit and also includes small and large insects in its diet. It forages singly, in pairs, and in flocks. Atypically among cotingas, it takes much fruit and insects while running or hopping along branches. It takes some insects, for instance flying ants, in mid-air with sallies from atop a tree.[10][13][14]
The bare-necked fruitcrow's breeding season varies latitudinally, becoming later south to north. The one described nest was a shallow cup made from lichens and thin plant fibers coated with fungus. It was on a horizontal branch at an estimated height of 6 to 10 m (20 to 35 ft) above the ground. Another, not otherwise described, was 40 m (130 ft) up in the crown of a tree. The clutch is believed to be one egg. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.[10]
| Songs and calls |
The bare-necked fruitcrow is described by some as silent[11] or "apparently mute".[13] Nevertheless, its voice has been described as a "deep bellowingoooooooo like a fog-horn".[16] As of October 2025xeno-canto and Cornell Lab'sMacaulay Library each had a single recording.[17][18]
TheIUCN has assessed the bare-necked fruitcrow as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered common in Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil, fairly common in Peru, and uncommon in Venezuela.[11][12][13][14][15] It occurs in several protected areas.[10]
