Phoenicircus


Phoenicircus is a genus of birds in the family Cotingidae. They have a bright red breast, crown, tail, and rump with the Guianan species having dark brown wings and the black-necked species having black wings. They are frugivores, eating primarily berries and drupes.

Taxonomy

The genus Phoenicircus was introduced in 1832 by the English naturalist William Swainson. The type species was designated as the Guianan red cotinga by George Robert Gray in 1840. The name combines the Ancient Greek phoinikeos meaning "crimson" or "dark red" with kerkos meaning
"tail".
The genus contains the following two species:
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Phoenicircus carnifexGuianan red cotingaGuianas and lower Amazon river valley
Phoenicircus nigricollisBlack-necked red cotingaAmazonia