Rufous-gaped Hillstar
Urochroa bougueri
Large hummingbird with limited range on west slope of Andes from central Colombia to northwest Ecuador. Distinctive in range. Overall bronzy-greenish with blue throat. Very long, straight bill with rufous patch on face. Look for bold white flashes in tail, especially visible in flight. Overall dark coloration and white in tail could be confused with Velvet-purple Coronet, but note larger size, longer bill, and blue restricted to throat. Uncommon; occasionally visits feeders but equally likely to be found within forest, especially around streams and waterfalls. Occurs from around 1,100 to 2,000 m.
Identification
The rufous-gaped hillstar is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long including its approximately 3 cm (1.2 in) bill. It weighs 8.5 to 12.5 g (0.30 to 0.44 oz). The sexes are alike. They have a long, straight, black bill and coppery green upperparts. The English name comes from the rufous-cinnamon malar streak on the face. The throat and breast are iridescent blue and the belly dull gray. The central and outermost tail feathers are black and the rest white with dusky gray edges. Juveniles are similar to adults with the addition of buffy fringes on the head feathers.<p>What is thought to be the rufous-gaped hillstar's song is "a continuous series of single 'swit' or 'tsit' notes". It also makes "a liquid 'twit', repeated in long sequences when alarmed."
Taxonomy
The rufous-gaped hillstar was formally described in 1851 by the French ornithologist Jules Bourcier based on a specimen that he had collected in Ecuador. He placed it in the genus Trochilus and coined the binomial name Trochilus bougueri. The species is now placed in the genus Urochroa that was introduced in 1856 by the English ornithologist John Gould. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek oura meaning "tail" with khroa meaning "colour" or "complexion". The specific epithet bougueri was chosen to honour the French mathematician Pierre Bouguer who had visited Peru in 1736–1742.<p>The rufous-gaped hillstar and what is now the green-backed hillstar (Urochroa leucura) were once treated as a single species, the "white-tailed hillstar". They are the only two members of their genus. Although they share the name "hillstar" with the members of genus Oreotrochilus, they are quite different and not closely related. The rufous-gaped hillstar is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Urochroa bougueri
- Authority
- (Bourcier, 1851)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Urochroa
Range and habitat
The rufous-gaped hillstar is found on the Pacific slope of the Andes from Colombia's Chocó Department south into Ecuador as far as Pichincha Province. It inhabits the interior and edges of mature montane forest and secondary forest, and also shrubby slopes, and is often found near streams. In elevation it generally ranges between 1,600 and 2,800 m (5,200 and 9,200 ft). It is most numerous at about 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and is occasionally found well below its usual minimum elevation. Though the rufous-gaped hillstar is generally sedentary, it makes some seasonal elevational movements, at least in Colombia.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The rufous-gaped hillstar usually forages in the lower and middle strata of the forest but occasionally in the canopy. Males defend feeding territories at stands of flowering vegetation. It takes nectar mostly from plants of genera Inga, Bomarea, Psammisia, and Cavendishia. In addition to feeding on nectar it captures small insects by hawking from a perch.<p>The rufous-gaped hillstar's breeding season in Colombia spans from December to March; it has not been documented in Ecuador. It builds a cup nest of moss and lichen on a vertical branch, typically 8 to 12 m (26 to 39 ft) high in a tall tree. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for 16 to 18 days; fledging occurs 23 to 25 days after hatch.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-necked Nightjar
Caprimulgus ruficollis
Resembles Eurasian Nightjar, but larger with a rufous collar and upper breast and lacks the dark “forearms” seen on Eurasian Nightjar. Note the prominent pale tips on the wing coverts. Most active at dusk when hawks for flying insects. Voice is a distinctive repetitive “tuok-tuok-tuok” rising and falling in volume. Haunts sparsely to moderately vegetated open areas such as rocky hillsides, pinewoods, and semidesert in the breeding season and winters in similar habitats in West Africa.
Ijima's Leaf Warbler
Phylloscopus ijimae
An uncommon migrant songbird through Taiwan, rarely encountered anywhere away from breeding grounds on Izu and Tokara Islands, Japan. Olive above and whitish below; best distinguished from similar species by narrow bill with yellowish lower mandible, brownish-pink legs, and weak head pattern. Prefers mature coastal broadleaf forests but uses bamboo patches and conifers during migration as well. Smaller than Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler, with thinner bill and no crown stripe. Song consists of a series of trills; calls, given often, include a descending “twee” or quiet “pee.”
Pygmy Nightjar
Nyctipolus hirundinaceus
Very small nightjar with an indistinct buffy throat. Ground color is variable between subspecies, with some paler and others darker. In flight, note the white wing stripes in both sexes. Males have two white patches on tail. Found in wooded rocky caatinga (dry scrubby forest), where it roosts on rock outcrops and boulders. The song is a short “wheeo.”
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