Russet-throated Puffbird
Hypnelus ruficollis
Chunky, stout billed, and often very conspicuous bird found mainly in dry and semi-humid forest north and west of the Andes. Note the ornate face pattern, buffy throat, and single black breast band. Similar to Two-banded Puffbird, which is found mostly east of the Andes, but never has more than one band. Pairs often perches in the open on exposed branches, wires, or fences, from which they sally out to snatch up a wide variety of prey. Song is a long series of whistles or clucks. Male and female often sing together in a noisy, chaotic duet.
Identification
The russet-throated puffbird is 20 to 22 cm (7.9 to 8.7 in) long and weighs 41 to 57 g (1.4 to 2.0 oz). The adult of the nominate subspecies has a dark brown crown with pale brown spots, a reddish spot just over the bill, a white patch around the eye and on the cheek, and a black patch below and behind the white one. The nape has a narrow buffy or white collar. The upperparts are dull brown with grayish mottling while the closed wing is dull brown with buffy "scales". The tail is long and dark brown with thin pale edges to the feathers. The chin is white and the throat and upper breast rich rufous. Under them are a thin white and a wide black band across the chest. The rest of the underparts are reddish buff with black bars or spots on the flanks. The bill is black, the eye yellow to white, and the feet black or dull green.<p>H. r. decolor is paler above than the nominate, its lower breast and belly are whiter, and there is less dark barring on the flanks. H. r. coloratus compared to the nominate has blacker cheeks, a deeper orange throat, and underparts that are a richer orange-buff.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the russet-throated puffbird is complicated. BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) assigns three subspecies, the nominate H. r. ruficolis, H. r. decolor, and H. r. coloratus. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) adds H. r. striaticollis. Like HBW, the Clements taxonomy does not recognize striaticollis; both include it within decolor. But Clements adds H. r. bicinctus and H. r. stoicus, which the other two systems assign to the two-banded puffbird (H. bicinctus). The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (SACC) recognizes that treating H. bicinctus as a species might be valid but has not received a formal proposal for the split.
- Scientific name
- Hypnelus ruficollis
- Authority
- (Wagler, 1829)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Bucconidae
- Genus
- Hypnelus
Range and habitat
The four subspecies of russet-throated puffbird recognized by the IOC are distributed thus:<p>The species inhabits a variety of open to semi-open landscapes including the interior and edges of open deciduous forest, treed savanna, dense secondary forest, and arid scrub with scattered trees. In elevation it has been recorded up to 700 m (2,300 ft) in Venezuela and as high as about 1,300 m (4,300 ft) in Colombia. It is thought to be a year-round resident throughout its range.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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