The olivaceous piha (Snowornis cryptolophus) is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae, the cotingas. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Taxonomy and systematics
The olivaceous piha was originally described as Lathria cryptolophia. It was later moved to genus Lipaugus and then back to Lathria. Because that genus already applied to species unrelated to subalaris, its current genus Snowornis was erected in 2001 for it and the similar grey-tailed piha (S. subalaris). The genus honors Dr. David W. Snow for his many contributions to the knowledge of the cotingas.
The olivaceous piha has two subspecies, the nominate S. c. crytolophus (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1877) and S. c. mindoensis (Hellmayr & Seilern, 1914).
Description
The olivaceous piha is 23 to 24 cm (9.1 to 9.4 in) long; three males weighed about 72 to 76 g (2.5 to 2.7 oz). The sexes have similar plumage. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a mostly olive head with brighter olive ear coverts and a partially hidden black crest in the middle of the crown. Their upperparts are olive green that is brightest on the rump. Their tail is a browner to grayer olive than their upperparts with thin olive edges on the feathers. Their wings are mostly brown with thin olive edges on the flight feathers. Their underparts are mostly olive with thin white streaks from the lower throat to the belly and some lemon yellow undertail coverts. Adult females are much more brownish than males and have little or no crest on the crown. Subspecies S. c. mindoensis is smaller than the nominate with hidden creamy white bases to the crest feathers. Both sexes of both subspecies have a dark brown iris, a dark horn to black bill with a paler base to the mandible, and bluish gray to gray legs and feet.
Distribution and habitat
The olivaceous piha has a disjunct distribution. Subspecies S. c. mindoensis has the smaller and more northerly range of the two. It is found on the western slope of Colombia's Western Andes from Antioquia...
