Gould's Inca
Coeligena inca
Striking hummingbird that inhabits Andean cloud forest from southern Peru to Bolivia. Both sexes have an orange collar that extends almost all the way around the back of the neck as well as white outer tail feathers and a long, straight bill. Male’s head is black with a sapphire forehead spot. Female might be confused with female Violet-throated Starfrontlet if seen poorly, but note the orange collar and white (not buff) tail markings. Visits feeders in some areas. Formerly treated as a subspecies group of Collared Inca.
Identification
Gould's inca is about 14.5 cm (5.7 in) long and weighs 6.8 to 7.2 g (0.24 to 0.25 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a mostly velvety black head with a green forehead and a small white spot behind the eye. The rest of their upperparts are golden green that is shinier on the lower back. Their central pair of tail feathers is bronze-green and the rest are white with bronze-green tips. Their throat is black, their upper breast collar orange, their belly glittering green, and their undertail coverts golden-green with white fringes. Nominate adult females have a lighter black head than males, and with golden-green spots. The rest of their upperparts are shining golden green. Their collar is rufous, usually with some green spots on the side, their breast glittering green, and their lower belly green with a rufous wash and large golden green spots. Juveniles resemble adult females. Subspecies C. t. omissa is similar to the nominate but has a bluish forehead, a greener throat, and mostly dark green rather than golden green upper- and underparts.
Taxonomy
The International Ornithological Committee (IOC), the Clements taxonomy, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) recognize Gould's inca as a species. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society treats it as a subspecies of the collared inca (C. torquata) but is seeking a proposal to recognize it as a species.<p>According to the IOC, Clements, and HBW, Gould's inca has two subspecies, the nominate C. t. inca (Gould, 1852) and C. t. omissa (Zimmer, J.T., 1948).
- Scientific name
- Coeligena inca
- Authority
- (Gould, 1852)
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Coeligena
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of Gould's inca is found in the Andes of Bolivia in the departments of La Paz and Cochabamba. Subspecies C. t. omissa is found in the Peruvian Andes between Cuzco and Puno departments. The species inhabits the understory and lower canopy of wet montane forest. In elevation it ranges between 1,600 and 3,200 m (5,200 and 10,500 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
As far as is known, Gould's inca is a year-round resident throughout its range, but it might make short-distance seasonal movements.<p>Gould's inca forages by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of flowering plants. It feeds on nectar from a variety of plants, mostly those with long tubular flowers. It also catches insects by hawking from a perch or by gleaning while hovering.<p>Gould's inca makes a cup nest of moss lined with fern scales. Most of those known were placed on a stick or root projecting from a rocky cliff beneath a mossy overhang. The clutch size is one or two eggs. The incubation period is not known; the time to fledging is about 23 days. The female alone incubates the clutch and cares for nestlings.<p>The vocalization's of Gould's inca have not been described. Xeno-canto includes recordings within those of the collared inca. As of early 2023 Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library had one recording.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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