About Pipreola riefferii (Boissonneau, 1840)
The green-and-black fruiteater, with the scientific name Pipreola riefferii (Boissonneau, 1840), measures 17.5 to 20 cm (6.9 to 7.9 in) in length and weighs 46 to 61 g (1.6 to 2.2 oz). Males and females have different plumage. For adult males of the nominate subspecies P. r. riefferii, the head and upper breast are entirely blackish green, with a yellow band (called a collar) around the base of this area that does not extend to the nape. Their upperparts and tail are green, and their wings are mostly this same color; the tertial feathers of the wing have white tips. Their underparts are yellow with black streaks, which are thicker on the flanks than on the central underparts. Females have a green head instead of the male's blackish green head, and they do not have a yellow collar. The other subspecies of green-and-black fruiteater differ from the nominate subspecies and from each other as follows: P. r. occidentalis: Males have a greenish wash on the throat and chest, and only faint white tips on the tertials. P. r. confusa: It is smaller than the nominate subspecies, has a greenish upper breast, and heavy green streaks on the underparts. P. r. chachapoyas: It is smaller than the nominate subspecies, and has heavy green streaks on the underparts. P. r. melanolaema: It has darker wings than the nominate subspecies; males have a black hood, and females have a faint yellow collar. P. r. tallmanorum: It is the smallest subspecies, has brighter red eyes than the nominate subspecies; males have a very glossy black hood and an unstreaked lower breast and belly; females have bolder green streaks on the underparts than the nominate subspecies. For all subspecies, both sexes have a dark red-brown iris, a bright red bill, and red or orange-red legs and feet. The green-and-black fruiteater has a disjunct distribution, with subspecies occupying separate ranges as follows: P. r. occidentalis is found in Colombia's Western Andes, and extends south along the Andean west slope to El Oro Province in southwestern Ecuador. P. r. riefferii occurs in Colombia's Central and Eastern Andes, extending into far western Venezuela's Táchira and Zulia states, as well as the isolated Serranía del Perijá that spans the Colombia-Venezuela border. P. r. confusa is found along the eastern Andean slope through Ecuador, reaching slightly into northern Peru. P. r. chachapoyas occurs along the eastern Andean slope in Peru, from central Amazonas south to Huánuco Department. P. r. melanolaema is found in the Venezuelan Andes from central Táchira north into southern Lara, and in the Venezuelan Coastal Range from Aragua east to Miranda. P. r. tallmanorum is located in Huánuco Department of central Peru. The green-and-black fruiteater lives in the edges and interior of montane forest (including cloudforest), and secondary woodland in the subtropical and lower temperate zones. Its elevation range varies by region: it occurs between 1,800 and 3,050 m (5,900 and 10,000 ft) in the Venezuelan Andes, and mostly between 1,750 and 2,150 m (5,700 and 7,100 ft) in the Venezuelan Coastal Range. It ranges between 1,500 and 3,200 m (4,900 and 10,500 ft) in Colombia, and mostly between 1,700 and 2,900 m (5,600 and 9,500 ft) in Ecuador and Peru.
