to and spending the non-breeding season in the lowlands. There are two subspecies; the nominate taxon, P. a. averano, in northeastern Brazil and P. a. carnobarba in Venezuela, Trinidad, extreme northeastern Colombia, western Guyana and far northern Brazil. It is a localised and uncommon bird in Venezuela, but is fairly common in Trinidad. The nominate Brazilian race is relatively rare due to extensive habitat destruction in its range and heavy trapping for the cagebird trade, and as such is considered "vulnerable" by Brazilian environmental authority (IBAMA). Ecology These arboreal bellbirds feeds entirely on fruit and berries, mainly taken on the wing. Lauraceae and Burseraceae are particularly favoured (as well as Araliaceae and Melastomataceae), and the young are fed regurgitated Lauraceae by the female. The flimsy nest of twigs is built by the female and usually placed in the outer branches of a tree. The nests are not located in the jungle, but in free-standing trees in semi-cleared areas, probably to reduce the risk from the many effective predators of nests in the jungle such as monkeys, toucans and snakes. The single brown-mottled, light tan egg is incubated entirely by the female, leaving the polygamous male free to spend much of his time advertising with his distinctive songs. Laying season varies over its range; April-Nov in Trinidad and May-Sep in N. Venezuela. The first recorded egg was discovered near Cumaca, Trinidad, in the mid-1950s. Footnotes References Birds of Venezuela by Hilty, Birds of South America vol. 2 by Ridgely & Tudor (1994), Herklots, G. A. C. 1961. The Birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Collins, London. Snow, D.W. (2008). Birds in Our Life. William Sessions Limited. (pbk), pp. 132–137. Further reading Snow, D.W. (1982). The Cotingas: Bellbirds, Umbrella birds and their allies. British Museum Press. External links BirdLife Species Factsheet a photo bearded bellbird Birds of the Caatinga Birds of Trinidad and Tobago Birds of Venezuela Birds of the Caribbean bearded bellbird