Bronzy Inca
Coeligena coeligena
Large hummingbird known for its remarkably drab plumage: entirely dull brownish with almost no color or iridescence. Throat is slightly paler with scaly appearance. Also note the long straight bill. Sexes alike. Fairly common in Andean cloud forest from Venezuela to Bolivia, from 1,000–2,500 m. Visits feeders.
Identification
The bronzy inca is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long. Males weigh about 7.3 g (0.26 oz) and females about 6.2 g (0.22 oz). Males have a long, straight, black bill, often with some yellow at the base of the mandible; the female's bill is also straight and black but somewhat longer. The species is the drabbest member of genus Coeligena, some others of which are rather dramatically plumaged.<p>Adult males of the nominate subspecies are mostly dark bronzy brown with a maroon sheen above; the lower back is greenish. They have a white spot behind the eye. Their throat and chest have white spots and dusky gray streaks, and the rest of the underparts are reddish brown. The forked tail is bronze. Adult nominate females are essentially the same as males but for bill length and a less forked tail, and juveniles resemble the adult female.<p>Subspecies C. c. zuliana is slightly more greenish and less bronzy than the nominate. C. c. columbiana is smaller than the nominate and has more of an olive shade. C. c. ferruginea is similar to the nominate but with less white on the throat and a tawny wash to the underparts. C. c. obscura is the darkest subspecies, with a blackish back and a grayish, not white, throat. C. c. boliviana has dark green spots on the crown and a bronzy blackish purple tail.
Taxonomy
The bronzy inca and most other members of genus Coeligena were at one time placed in genus Helianthea but have been in their current placement since the mid-1900s. The species has these six subspecies:
- Scientific name
- Coeligena coeligena
- Authority
- (Lesson, RP, 1833)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Coeligena
Range and habitat
The subspecies of bronzy inca are distributed thus:<p>The bronzy inca primarily inhabits the edges of humid pre-montane forest, though it also occurs in more open landscapes of scattered trees and in coffee plantations. In elevation it ranges between 1,500 and 2,600 m (4,900 and 8,500 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Chinese Hwamei
Garrulax canorus
A medium-sized thrushlike bird of dense forests and undergrowth. The reddish brown coloration and white spectacles are distinctive. Usually skulks in dense vegetation, but may sing from an exposed perch or forage out in the open during dawn and dusk. Usually observed singly or in pairs. The song is loud, long, and varied, involving mimicry of other birds, whistles, and harsh notes that are often repeated. Introduced to Taiwan, Japan, and the Hawaiian Islands.
Malabar Flameback
Chrysocolaptes socialis
A large, crested woodpecker with a golden-olive back endemic to wet lowland and foothill forests in southwestern India. Separated from Common Flameback and other “small-billed” flamebacks by a much larger bill, a mottled black-and-white nape instead of a black nape, and a divided black horizontal stripe below the cheek. Separated from the similarly large-billed White-naped Woodpecker by the less clean-cut face pattern, a red rump, the lack of a clean white nape, and a preference for wetter habitat. A loose participant in mixed-species foraging flocks, often detected by its loud, high-pitched trill similar to that of Common Flameback.
Lesser Blue-eared Starling
Lamprotornis chloropterus
Beautiful, glossy green-and-purple starling. There is a stripe through the eye that sometimes looks black and sometimes deep purple. Juveniles in the northern part of the range have a brown head and underparts, while southern juveniles have distinctive rufous underparts. In the south, found in broadleaf woodland, mainly miombo. In the north, uses a variety of savanna, brush, and woodland habitats. The song is a complex, chattering series, and the call is a vibrant rising note, which is often incorporated into the song. Very similar to Greater Blue-eared Starling, but smaller and shorter-tailed, with a thinner stripe through the eye. Also similar to Cape Starling, but has a dark eye-stripe and a purple belly, and is usually found in different habitat.
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