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
Ferruginous Antbird
Drymophila ferruginea
Medium-sized antbird with a long black tail. Occupies low to middle levels of humid forests with bamboo where it frequently draws attention to itself with its “tit-tweeh” call. Males have an orange-rufous body and a bold black-and-white striped face. The wings are dark with two white-spotted bars and the black tail is tipped in white. Females are paler with a finely streaked gray crown. Very similar to Bertoni’s Antbird, but Ferruginous females have a gray (not brown) crown and males have less black on the back than Bertoni’s Antbird.
Buffy Helmetcrest
Oxypogon stuebelii
Large, short-billed hummingbird found only at extremely high elevations in Colombia’s central Andes. Adult male’s green and blue beard, black and buff head pattern, and shaggy crest make him easily recognizable within his tiny world range. Female and younger males lack the crest and beard and have more subdued coloration, but they are still recognizable from their large size and relatively tiny bill. Often seen feeding from or perching on Espeletia plants. Espeletia, also known as Frailejón, is native to high Andean grasslands; it is characterized by its short, trunk-like stem, large, elongated leaves, and small, yellow flowers.
Rufous-collared Kingfisher
Actenoides concretus
Brilliantly colored but often elusive and difficult to spot in the gloom of the forest. Male is bright blue above and orange below with a green cap. Female replaces male’s blue with cream-spotted green. Broad black, blue, and orange stripes across the face distinguish this species from other kingfishers in range. Whistles pleasantly and persistently, often while perched low above the forest floor in shaded areas.
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