Psophia is a genus of birds restricted to the humid forests of the Amazon and Guiana Shield in South America. It is the only genus in the family Psophiidae. Birds in the genus are commonly known as trumpeters, due to the trumpeting or cackling threat call of the males.[ They are rotund birds with long, flexible necks and legs, downward-curving bills][
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Taxonomy and systematics
The genus Psophia was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae, as containing a single species, the grey-winged trumpeter ( Psophia crepitans).
The genus' taxonomy is far from settled; anywhere from three to six species (with varying numbers of subspecies) are recognized by different taxonomic systems.
The International Ornithological Committee's treatment is the most conservative. They recognize three species, two of which have three subspecies:
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Grey-winged trumpeter, Psophia crepitans
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P. c. crepitans
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P. c. napensis
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P. c. ochroptera
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Pale-winged trumpeter, Psophia leucoptera
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Dark-winged trumpeter, Psophia viridis
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P. v. viridis
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P. v. dextralis
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P. v. obscura
The Clements taxonomy splits P. v. dextralis
retrieved November 10, 2022
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Gray-winged trumpeter, Psophia crepitans
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P. c. crepitans (gray-winged)
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P. c. napensis (Napo)
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P. c. ochroptera (ochre-winged)
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Pale-winged trumpeter, Psophia leucoptera
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Dark-winged trumpeter, Psophia viridis
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P. v. viridis (green-backed)
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P. v. dextralis (dusky-backed)
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P. v. interjecta (Xingu)
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P. v. obscura (black-backed)
BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) recognizes six species:[HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 6. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v6_Dec21.zip retrieved August 7, 2022]
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Grey-winged trumpeter, Psophia crepitans
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P. c. crepitans
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P. c. napensis
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Ochre-winged trumpeter, Psophia ochroptera
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White-winged trumpeter, Psophia leucoptera
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Green-winged trumpeter, Psophia viridis
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Olive-winged trumpeter, Psophia dextralis
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P. d. dextralis
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P. d. interjecta
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Black-winged trumpeter, Psophia obscura
Traditionally, only three species of trumpeters have been recognised.[Remsen, J. V. Jr., C. D. Cadena, A. Jaramillo, M. Nores, J. F. Pacheco, J. Pérez-Emán, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, D. F. Stotz, and K. J. Zimmer. 8 November 2011. A classification of the bird species of South America. South American Classification Committee] A 2008 review, of the morphology of the dark-winged trumpeter, resulted in the recommendation that it be divided into three species.
Behaviour and ecology
Trumpeters fly weakly but run fast; they can easily outrun dogs.[ They are also capable of swimming across rivers.][ They spend most of the day in noisy flocks, sometimes numbering more than 100, on the forest floor.][ They feed on fallen fruit (particularly fruit knocked down by ). They also eat a small amount of arthropods, including ants and flies,][ and even some reptiles and amphibians.][ At night they fly with difficulty into trees to roost above the ground.][
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Trumpeters nest in a hole in a tree or in the crown of a palm tree. They lay 2 to 5 eggs with rough, white shells, averaging about .[ In the pale-winged trumpeter and the grey-winged trumpeter, groups of adults care for a single clutch.]
Relationship with humans
Trumpeters are often used as "guard dogs" because they call loudly when alarmed,[ become tame easily, and are believed to be adept at killing . One source states their skill at hunting snakes as a fact,][ and the nineteenth-century botanist Richard Spruce gave an account of the friendliness and snake-killing prowess of a tame grey-winged trumpeter. For these reasons, Spruce recommended that England import trumpeters to India.]
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