Trinidad: Bearded Bellbird - Procnias averno

The first morning at Asa Wright began with an orientation hike on the forested paths of the preserve, leading down to a lekking site of the Bearded Bellbird, Procnias averano. We soon heard a repeated "BOCK!" call, which became quite loud as we approached a lek tree where this male was calling. Seems they spend a lot of time on there, always hopeful of attracting a female. When several males gather I guess they make enough noise to attract a female, who has already built a nest. She will visit each male at the lek and then make her choice. After mating she returns to her nest alone, as the male has no family responsibilities, and in fact is quite free to shake his wattles to impress another lady.

Bellbirds are fruit-eaters, plucking small fruits in flight, and later regurgitating the seeds. They are big (11") birds, in the large and diverse Cotinga family (70 species). The black-and-white male has a rich brown head, and rather grotesque messy wattles. The female has a green back, streaky breast, and lacks wattles. They have long broad bills and strong feet. There are 4 Bellbirds in the genus Procnias. Photos from Jan 13, 2013.

The male Bellbird we watched that day was the only one calling, and did not give out the rapid song sometimes heard. Good video with Bellbird calls at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKgKe24-_G4

One last shot, giving a view of the wings and back: