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
The bronzy inca makes some seasonal movements that have not been fully defined.<p>The bronzy inca forages for nectar by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of a wide variety of flowering plants. It seldom feeds above the mid-story of the forest, though it has been observed feeding in the canopy. In addition to nectar it captures small arthropods by hawking and hover-gleaning.<p>The bronzy inca's breeding season spans from November to March. It builds a cup nest of moss and plant fibers, typically 1 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 ft) above ground and well hidden in vegetation. The female alone incubates the clutch of two eggs for 15 to 16 days; fledging occurs 22 to 24 days after hatch.<p>What is thought to be the bronzy inca's song is "a continuous series of single rather sweet 'tseet' notes". Its calls include single "tsee" or "tzeet" notes, usually during flight.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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