Screaming piha

Screaming piha
Adult in Amazon rain forest, Ecuador
Song recorded in Tambopata Reserve, Madre de Dios Region, Peru
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Cotingidae
Genus:	Lipaugus
Species:	L. vociferans
Binomial name
Lipaugus vociferans (Wied, 1820)

The screaming piha (Lipaugus vociferans) is a species of passerine bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in humid forests in the Amazon and tropical parts of the Mata Atlântica in South America. It is also adapting really well into human settlement areas like gardens, parks, etc. As it is widespread and generally fairly common, it is considered to be of least concern by BirdLife International.

While the plumage of both sexes is dull grey (wings and tail often somewhat browner), its voice is extraordinary, exceptionally loud and among the most commonly heard sounds in the Amazon. The sound is frequently used in movies, and also can be heard in the background of the popular game Angry Birds Rio.

The Cofan people of Ecuador call it the Pwe-pwe Yoh, which is a reference to its voice. Similarly, among the Ecuadorian Secoyas, the bird is known as the Kwow-kwee-yo. Males often gather in loose leks, where they sing to attract females.

References

• Screaming piha. arthurgrosset.com. Accessed 2008-07-10

External links

• Recordings on the Screaming piha. xeno-canto America. Accessed 2008-07-10
• Screaming pihas on Freesound. Freesound.org. Accessed 2012-03-10
• Screaming piha entry in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Neotropical Birds Encyclopedia. neotropical.birds.cornell.edu. Accessed 2012-11-23