Some birds just have so much “wow” factor you wonder how they can even be real! The stunning Banded Cotinga is one of these “wow” birds.
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If you are from Australia, especially Queensland or New South Wales you could be forgiven for thinking this bird would be a perfect mascot for State of Origin.
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Unfortunately for us Aussies, this beautiful bird is not found in our country but in Brazil. They are known locally as “Crejoa”.
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Cotinga maculata occurs in south-east Bahia and north Espírito Santo, with two recent records from northeast Minas Gerais (Santa Maria do Salto and Bandeira municipalities) (Ribon et al. 2004, Ribon et al. 2005) and none since the 19th century in Rio de Janeiro, south-east Brazil. It has declined significantly in abundance and distribution and is confined to a few protected areas, notably Sooretama, RPPN Estação Veracruz (formerly Porto Seguro) and Linhares Forest Reserve. It was not common even in the early 20th century and, given its fragmented distribution, overall numbers cannot be high.
Brazil is very easy to get to with frequent flyer miles. I would suggest you fly to Rio De Janeiro or Sao Paulo, then get a connecting flight to Vitoria, rent a car and drive to Sooretama or Linhares. We were there in Sept 2012 but weren’t lucky enough to see this stunning bird. Maybe next time!
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