Tufted Coquette
Lophornis ornatus
Tiny, ornately patterned hummingbird with a bold pale rump band. Exquisite adult male plumage features a bushy orange crest and long orange plumes tipped dark green, sweeping back from the cheeks over the shoulders, and set off by a white rump band and stout orange bill tipped black. Female lacks such adornment and is greenish above and whitish below, with a contrasting tawny throat, buffy rump band, and duller bill. Occurs in a wide range of humid forest types from lowland rainforest to premontane forest in the tepui region. Feeds on nectar and is most likely to be seen at flowering trees, where it forages unobtrusively, sneaking nectar from the territories of other hummingbirds. More common and widespread than other coquettes in range. Female Tufted is best told by tawny throat and overall plain appearance.
Identification
The tufted coquette is 6.6 centimetres (2.6 in) long and weighs 2.3 grams (0.081 oz). The black-tipped red bill is short and straight. The male has a rufous head crest and a coppery green back with a whitish rump band that is prominent in flight. The forehead and underparts are green, and black-spotted rufous plumes project from the neck sides. The tail is golden rufous. The female lacks the crest and plumes. She has green upperparts (dorsal), except for the whitish tail band, and rufous underparts (ventral) that become much paler on the belly. The tail is mostly bronze green with a dusky band and whitish tips to the feathers. Immature males resemble the female, but their throats are whitish with fine dark spotting.<p>The female tufted coquette lays two eggs in a small cup nest made of plant down and placed on a branch.<p>Tufted coquettes are tame and approachable. The call of this species while feeding is a light chik.<p>Their food is nectar, taken from a variety of flowers, and some small invertebrates. With their small size and steady flight, these birds often resemble a large bee as it moves from flower to flower.
Taxonomy
The tufted coquette was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1781 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Trochilus ornatus in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The type locality is Cayenne in French Guiana. The tufted coquette is now placed in the genus Lophornis that was introduced by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1829. The species is monotypic. The generic name combines the Ancient Greek lophos meaning "crest" or "tuft" with ornis meaning "bird". The specific epithet ornatus is Latin for "ornate" or "adorned".
- Scientific name
- Lophornis ornatus
- Authority
- (Boddaert, 1783)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Lophornis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous-breasted Hermit
Glaucis hirsutus
Fairly large hermit with rufous underparts and no elongated central tail feathers. Long decurved bill has a yellow lower mandible. Rounded tail is mostly rufous at the base with a black band and small white tips on each feather. Superficially similar to other hermits, but combination of tail shape and underpart color should be sufficient to identify. The very similar Bronzy Hermit does not overlap in range. An understory species that is fairly shy and most often seen feeding from Heliconia flowers.
Malaysian Blue-banded Kingfisher
Alcedo peninsulae
Small, rather dark kingfisher. Male is highly distinctive, with a broad blue-green band across a white chest. Female is very different, with no band and all-orange belly. Female similar to Common Kingfisher but overall duller, darker coloration; lacks the orange patch behind the eye and has a red base to the bill. Female also similar to Blue-eared Kingfisher but lacks the bright blue color. Hunts along fast-flowing forested streams from lowlands into foothills. Gives a piercing call similar to that of Common Kingfisher.
Blue Malkoha
Ceuthmochares aereus
Odd, dark blue-and-gray cuckoo with a bright yellow bill. Found in thick habitats including forest, forest edge, and thickets. Skulks in the thickest parts of the mid-story, especially preferring vine tangles. Call starts with a hesitant series of high “kik” notes, eventually followed by a long, accelerating trill. Also gives a long up-and-down whistle. Dark coloration and yellow bill are distinctive. Range does not overlap with the similar Green Malkoha.
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