Birds
Three-wattled Bellbird
Procnias tricarunculatus
From a favoured high perch, a male three-wattled bellbird delivers a call so loud it carries over a kilometre through the forest, three thin fleshy wattles swinging from the base of its bill as it displays.
Overview
The three-wattled bellbird, Procnias tricarunculatus, is a Vulnerable bird found across lowland and highland forest in Central America, moving seasonally between elevations to track fruiting trees. Its explosively loud call, unusual triple wattles, and striking white-headed, chestnut-bodied plumage make it one of the most distinctive and vocally remarkable birds in the region.
A call built to travel far
Few birds anywhere produce a sound as loud as the three-wattled bellbird’s sharp, explosive call, a signal powerful enough to carry across dense forest canopy and announce a displaying male’s presence from a considerable distance.
Status
Vulnerable, with a declining population linked to deforestation and fragmentation across both the lowland and highland forest it depends on for its seasonal altitudinal movements.
Three-wattled Bellbird: common questions
Why is the three-wattled bellbird's call so loud?
Its sharp, explosive call is among the loudest produced by any bird species, audible over a kilometre away, likely evolved to carry across dense forest canopy where visual signals would be less effective.
Why does it have three wattles?
Males display three long, thin fleshy wattles hanging from the base of the bill, a feature used in display that gives the species its common name, though its exact function in courtship is still studied.
Why does the three-wattled bellbird move between elevations?
It is an altitudinal migrant, moving seasonally between lowland and highland forest within Central America to track the availability of fruiting trees at different elevations.
Why is the three-wattled bellbird Vulnerable?
Deforestation and habitat fragmentation across both the lowland and highland forest it depends on seasonally have reduced its available habitat, threatening its altitudinal migration pattern.