Rufous-vented Whitetip
Urosticte ruficrissa
Rare hummingbird of cloud forest on the east slope of the Andes. Male is mostly green with darker throat and white tips to the inner tail feathers that combine to form a round spot. On female, note green scaling on white underparts, white mustache stripe, white tail corners, and buff tinge on vent (but not on thighs). Female very similar to female Booted Racket-tail but is more heavily scaled on throat and has white thighs. Typically found at forest edge or in clearings, feeding at any height, and occasionally visits feeders.
Identification
The rufous-vented whitetip is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 4 to 4.2 g (0.14 to 0.15 oz). Both sexes have a medium-length straight black bill and a prominent white stripe behind the eye. Both have shining green upperparts and a forked tail, though the female's is not as deeply indented as the male's. Males have shining green underparts with buffy undertail coverts. The tail is dusky bronze; the central feathers have wide white tips. Females have white underparts spotted with green. The tail is dusky bronze with white tips on the outermost feathers. Juveniles are similar to females with the addition of brown edges on the head feathers.
Taxonomy
The rufous-vented whitetip and purple-bibbed whitetip (Urosticte benjamini) have been treated as conspecific and as distinct species, each by multiple authors. Since the early 2000s there is consensus that they are species in their own right. They are the only members of their genus and both are monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Urosticte ruficrissa
- Authority
- Lawrence, 1864
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Urosticte
Range and habitat
The rufous-vented whitetip is found on the eastern slope of the Andes from Colombia's Huila and Nariño departments south through eastern Ecuador into Peru's Department of San Martín. It inhabits the interior and edges of partly open montane forest and cloudforest between elevations of 1,600 and 2,400 m (5,200 and 7,900 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The rufous-vented whitetip is generally sedentary but locally moves to higher elevations after breeding.<p>The rufous-vented whitetip mostly forages from near the ground to the forest's mid level. It collects nectar from a variety of flowering plants including bromeliads and members of genera Clusia and Palicourea. In addition to feeding on nectar it captures insects by hawking from a perch and sometimes by gleaning from vegetation.<p>The rufous-vented whitetip's breeding season spans from January to April. It builds a cup nest of moss and typically places it in vines 2 to 4 m (7 to 10 ft) above the ground. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for 15 to 18 days; fledging occurs 22 to 24 days after hatch.<p>The rufous-vented whitetip makes a "mellow, fast twittering 'tweetweetweetwee...'" that can sound like "a laughing chatter". While feeding in flight it also makes "a single lower-pitched scratchy note 'tzrrrrr'".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous-winged Sunbird
Cinnyris rufipennis
A small sunbird that is rare within its tiny central Tanzanian range. Both sexes have an unusual bright rufous panel in the wing. Males are dark bluish-purple above and gray below with a rufous band across the chest. Except for the wing panel, females are dull, with blurry spots on the underparts. Found locally in montane forest at middle elevations, mainly in the understory and at middle levels of the forest interior. The common call is a descending “tyeow,” and the song is a typical sunbird jumble.
Whistling Green-Pigeon
Treron formosae
A variable green-pigeon of subtropical and tropical lowland broadleaf evergreen forests. Ryukyu subspecies readily approachable, sometimes found in parks and gardens; Taiwan subspecies more timid. Ryukyu and Taiwan subspecies sometimes considered separate species, as Taiwan birds are much smaller and have a rufous cap. Similar to White-bellied Green-Pigeon, but feathers around the legs never white, face less yellowish, and white edges of undertail coverts narrower. Song a low, whistling "poo-aa-poooo", rising and trilling at end, recalling a bamboo flute.
Madagascar Ibis
Lophotibis cristata
A rather fantastical forest-dwelling ibis with a colorful face, white wing, and rich brown body. Endemic to Madagascar, where it is most frequently encountered in eastern rainforest, though it also occurs locally in western deciduous forest. Roosts and nests in trees, and feeds on the forest floor. Extremely shy, and unless spooked will rapidly flee from disturbance on foot. Very loud and vocal, giving a long and agitated series of wheezy, whining notes. Calls most often at dawn and dusk and during the night.
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