Many beautiful birds in this world are being hunted down daily only because of their stunning plumage, and the spangled cotinga is one of them. It’s hard for this bird to hide in the wild because of its strikingly bright color.

The spangled cotinga (also known under the binomial name of Cotinga cayana) is a member of the family Cotingidae, the cotingas. It was first described in 1760 by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson.

This monotypic bird is mostly known for the stunning turquoise blue coat and extraordinary purple throat that looks like a jewel, which is even more prominent near the black wings, tail and back.

The spangled cotinga is said to be se-xually dimorphic so it’s no surprise that the female looks nothing like the male. It is much duller with gray plumage and faint mottling on its belly.

The female is also the one in charge of building the nest and taking care of the chick. It often collects twigs and rootlets on the ground and built a cup-shaped nest at an altitude of 11 – 15 m. Its nest is always small as this bird only lays one egg each time.

This fairy-like species is mostly found in the upper canopy of the rainforests throughout the Amazon Basin, typically Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia.

The spangled cotinga often feeds on fruits like other birds belonging to the genus Cotinga, but it also hunts insects once in a while. This bird is also songless like the rest of the genus.

This bird is not considered a threatened species because of its wide range.

Watch this charming creature in action here:

H/T: One Big Birdcage