Two-banded Puffbird
Hypnelus bicinctus
Bulky, thick-billed bird of dry and semi-humid forest and scrub, mainly east of the Andes. Plumage is quite striking with white face patch, tan throat, and multiple bands on the underparts. Similar to Russet-throated Puffbird, which is mostly found west and north of the Andes, but always shows two or three bands (not just one), with the upper band wrapping around the throat. Often found in pairs that sit in the open on large branches, fences, and other conspicuous perches before sallying out after a wide variety of prey. Song is a long series of whistles or clucks. Male and female may sing together in a noisy, chaotic duet. Formerly considered a subspecies group of Russet-throated Puffbird.
Identification
The adult of the nominate subspecies of two-banded puffbird has a dark brown crown with pale brown spots, a buffy patch from the bill to the eye, a whitish patch on the cheek, and a black patch below and behind the white one. The nape has a narrow whitish collar. The upperparts are dull brown with whitish mottling while the closed wing is dull brown with whitish scallops. The tail is long and dark brown with thin pale edges to the feathers. The chin is whitish and the throat and upper breast reddish buff. Under them are two black bands across the chest. The rest of the belly is reddish buff with black spots on its upper edge and the flanks are whitish with large black spots. H. b. stoicus is similar but slightly browner and paler above, has a less dramatically marked face, and has buff tips to the feathers of the upper breastband.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the two-banded puffbird is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) consider it a species. They assign two subspecies, the nominate H. b. bicinctus and H. b. stoicus. However, the Clements taxonomy treats the two as subspecies of the russet-throated puffbird (H. ruficollis). 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 bicinctus
- Authority
- (Gould, 1837)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Bucconidae
- Genus
- Hypnelus
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of two-banded puffbird is found in the llanos of northeastern Colombia and into northern Venezuela almost to Lake Maracaibo on the west, east to near the Guyana border, and south slightly into Amazonas and Bolívar states. H. b. stoicus is found only on Margarita Island off the central Venezuelan coast. On the mainland it inhabits open and near open landscapes including the llanos savanna, thickets, abandoned farms, and the edges of deciduous woodland. It occurs almost exclusively below 500 m (1,600 ft) of elevation. On Margarita it inhabits bushland and woods from plains into the foothills. No seasonal movements have been documented, though its habitat undergoes seasonal changes. It sometimes is common in an area and then vacates it for several years.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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