Rufous-capped Thornbill
Chalcostigma ruficeps
Medium-sized hummingbird with a short straight bill. Overall drab grayish-green with a glittering green and yellow throat. Male has bright rusty cap. Occurs on the east slope of the Andes from southern Ecuador to Bolivia from around 2,100 to 2,700 m. Generally uncommon to rare. Forages in lower levels of forest edge, clearings, and shrubby roadsides. Rufous-capped Thornbill is longer-tailed than Tyrian Metaltail and is smaller and found at lower elevations than Rainbow-bearded Thornbill.
Identification
The rufous-capped thornbill is about 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and weighs 3.3 to 3.9 g (0.12 to 0.14 oz). Both sexes have a very short black bill. The male's crown is mahogany red and the rest of the upperparts bottle green. It has a narrow emerald green gorget with a border of various shades of yellow. Its underparts are rufous with green mottling that is strongest on the flanks. The tail is dull olive green. The female's upperparts including the crown are bottle green. Its throat and breast are ochre-orange with olive green dots. Its outer tail feathers have pale tips.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of genus Chalcostigma and of the rufous-capped thornbill in particular are unsettled. The South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society is considering a proposal to merge the genus into Oxypogon. The species was for a time placed in genus Metallura with the Perijá metaltail (M. iracunda) and also has been assigned its own genus, Selatopogon. The rufous-capped thornbill is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Chalcostigma ruficeps
- Authority
- (Gould, 1846)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Chalcostigma
Range and habitat
The rufous-capped thornbill is found on the east slope of the Andes from southeastern Ecuador's Zamora-Chinchipe Province through Peru into Bolivia as far as Cochabamba Department. It has also been recorded as a vagrant in Colombia. It inhabits a variety of montane landscapes including humid secondary forest, humid montane forest, and cloudforest. In elevation it mostly ranges between 1,400 and 3,500 m (4,600 and 11,500 ft) but occurs as high as 3,500 m (11,500 ft); it is most common around 2,500 m (8,200 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The rufous-capped thornbill possibly makes seasonal elevational movements.<p>The rufous-capped thornbill feeds on nectar from a variety of flowers, mostly in the family Melastomataceae. It usually nectars by clinging to the flower and rarely by hovering. It sometimes "robs" nectar by piercing the base of a flower or by feeding at holes made by Diglossa flowerpiercers. It forages from low to medium level, and males defend feeding territories. It also feeds on insects but its usual method of capture has not been determined.<p>The rufous-capped thornbill's breeding season spans from December to March in Bolivia and perhaps July to October in Peru. The female alone incubates the two white eggs. Nothing else has been documented about its breeding phenology.<p>The rufous-capped thornbill's vocalizations are not well known, but do include "a short dry double rattle 'trr-trr'" and "a rising/falling twitter 't-tr-tr-tsee-tseee-tititrrr'."
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Ochraceous Wren
Troglodytes ochraceus
Tiny short-tailed wren, plain warm brown with brighter buffy face and bold buffy eyebrow. Found in highland forests, where it can be seen sneaking up tree trunks and through vine tangles in search of insects. Often follows mixed feeding flocks. Similar to House Wren, but note warmer color and eyebrow. Listen for song, a high-pitched musical jumble of tinkling notes and short trills.
Principe Seedeater
Crithagra rufobrunnea
An incredibly dowdy small seedeater with a pink-horn bill and a pale throat. On São Tomé its color is gray-brown and on Príncipe more buffy-cinnamon. On São Tomé it is a common resident in most habitats from primary forest to suburban gardens up to 1500 meters of elevation; on Príncipe it is uncommon and more restricted to forest. Song is variable, but mostly a strident, rapidly delivered series of high-pitched notes “tseet-teet-teet-teet-tseeu-tseeu-tseeu” or similar; call is a slurred “tshweet.” The much larger Sao Tome Grosbeak is chestnut in color and rare in remote forest on São Tomé; Yellow-fronted Canary is much brighter.
Common Potoo
Nyctibius griseus
Strange nocturnal bird like a mix between an owl and a nightjar. Large head and huge yellow eyes. Overall grayish-brown with splotchy patterning. Black mustache stripe helps distinguish from Great Potoo, along with smaller size. Spends the daytime perched on the end of a snag, where it blends in perfectly and becomes very difficult to spot. At night, hunts mainly for flying insects from an exposed perch. Found in open forested habitats with scattered trees, such as forest edges, along rivers or roadsides, or even in disturbed patchy woodland. Listen for mournful series of whistles, descending in pitch: “POO, POO, Poo, poo, poo.”
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