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
- Galbuliformes
- 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
The russet-throated puffbird still-hunts from a perch up to 8 m (26 ft) above ground. It sallies to capture prey on the ground, in vegetation, or on branches or trunks. Its diet is mostly insects but also includes small vertebrates like lizards and some fruits.<p>The russet-throated puffbird has been documented breeding in May in Colombia and in August and September in Venezuela. It usually excavates a burrow in an arboreal termitarium and occasionally uses the oven-shaped nest of pale-legged hornero (Furnarius leucopus). The clutch size is three eggs.<p>The russet-throated puffbird's song is "repeated rhythmic 'woduk' notes in crescendo for up to 20 seconds, then diminishing". It is usually sung at dawn and often by both members of a pair. They also make a "seeeeep" call.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Three-striped Warbler
Basileuterus tristriatus
Active, often noisy warbler found at lower to middle levels of montane cloud forest. Note the olive upperparts and dark and pale pattern on head. Underpart color and extent of cheek patch vary through its range. Dark stripes on head usually contrast with back, and eyebrow is white, not yellow – these two features help to separate it from other similar warblers in range. Usually seen in pairs or family groups. Typical song begins as a rising trill and then morphs into chaotic chattering.
Sickle-winged Nightjar
Eleothreptus anomalus
While perched, appears to be an unassuming nightjar: rather small, short-tailed, and largely gray with dark brown spots. In flight, males are spectacular, with unique flight feathers forming the “sickle” wing shape. Females lack these modified wing feathers. Usually found close to water, around gallery forest; in some areas also in grassland and marshes. The call is a repetition of very subtle “chip” notes.
Indigo-winged Parrot
Hapalopsittaca fuertesi
Rare and endangered parrot restricted to high elevations in the central Andes of Colombia. Plumage is golden green with a sapphire crown; the blue and red in the wings and tail are usually evident when perched, and can be more striking when seen in flight. Usually encountered in groups of several to a dozen birds that fly from fruiting tree to fruiting tree in compact flocks. Formerly very difficult to find, but in recent years it has been reliably encountered along dirt roads high above the town of Santa Rosa de Cabal.
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