| Sapayoa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nusagandi, Panama | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Infraorder: | Eurylaimides |
| Family: | Sapayoidae Irestedt et al. 2006 |
| Genus: | Sapayoa Hartert, 1903 |
| Species: | S. aenigma |
| Binomial name | |
| Sapayoa aenigma Hartert, 1903 | |
 | |
Thesapayoa orbroad-billed sapayoa (Sapayoa aenigma) is asuboscinepasserine bird found Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.[2]
As the sapayoa'sspecific epithetaenigma ("theenigma") implies, its relationships have long been elusive.
The sapayoa wasformally described by the German ornithologistErnst Hartert in 1903 under the presentbinomial nameSapayoa aenigma.[3]It has always been considered amonotypic genus,Sapayoa, and historically regarded as a New Worldsuboscine; in particular, it was assigned to the manakin family (Pipridae). However, thespecies was listed asincertae sedis (position uncertain) in theSibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, because
"preliminary DNA-DNA hybridization comparisons ... indicate that this species is either a relative of the Old WorldEurylaimidae or a sister group of all otherTyrannida, as suggested by earlier biochemical studies .... In any event, it is not a close relative of manakins or any other recent tyrannoid."[4]
More recent research suggests that it is not a New World suboscine at all, but an Old World suboscine. In 2004, it was shown that the sapayoa is an outlier to the New World suboscines.[5] In an earlier analysis based onnDNAmyoglobinintron 2 andGAPDH intron 11sequence data, the authors found the sapayoa
"as a deep branch in the group ofbroadbills andpittas of the Old World tropics."[6]
Accordingly, the sapayoa would be the last surviving New World species of a lineage that evolved inAustralia-New Guinea whenGondwana was in the process of splitting apart. The sapayoa's ancestors are hypothesized to have reached South America via theWestern Antarctica Peninsula.
Beginning in about 2010, major taxonomic systems moved the sapayoa into its own familySapayoidae.[7][8][2][9][10] However, they differ in its placement in a linear sequence of families. TheInternational Ornithological Committee (IOC) places it second among passerine families, betweenAcanthisittidae (the New Zealand wrens) andPhilepittidae (the Asities).[2] TheClements taxonomy places several other families between the New Zealand wrens and the sapayoa and follows it with the asities.[9]BirdLife International'sHandbook of the Birds of the World places it further down the linear sequence, betweenEurylaimidae (typical broadbills) andCalyptomenidae (African and green broadbills).[10]
All the systems agree that the sapayoa ismonotypic.
The sapayoa is 13.5 to 15 cm (5.3 to 5.9 in) long and weighs about 21 g (0.74 oz). Its head and upperparts are olive with a dusky tinge to the wings and tail. It throat and belly are a yellower olive. Its bill is wide and black withrictal bristles around it. Its iris is dull reddish brown and its legs are gray. Males have a yellow stripe on the crown.[11][12]
The sapayoa is found from thePanama Canal Zone south through western Colombia into extreme northwestern Ecuador. It inhabits humid forest from the understory to the mid-level, and often occurs in ravines and near watercourses. In elevation it ranges as high as 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in Colombia but only to 500 m (1,600 ft) in Ecuador.[11][13][12]
The sapayoa is assumed to be a year-round resident in its range.[11]
The sapayoa typically feeds by perching for long periods between sallies to catch insects on the wing or from foliage. It also feeds on small fruits. It often joinsmixed-species feeding flocks.[11][13][12]
The sapayoa's breeding season includes at least March to September in Panama and February to April in Colombia. Its pear-shaped nest is made from long strips of bark and other fibers, some of which dangle beneath the structure, and has a side entrance near its bottom. It is suspended from a branch, often above a stream. Two nests each held two nestlings. Both parents fed the brood at one. At the other the female brooded them and an adult male and two immature males attended her and the brood.[11][14][15]
| Songs and calls |
The sapayoa's vocalizations are not well known.[11] One is "a soft trill" and another is "a slightly louder 'chipp, ch-ch-ch' ".[12]
TheIUCN has assessed the sapayoa as being of Least Concern, though its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is "[a]pparently rare to uncommon, and possibly rather local in distribution."[11]
