Black Inca
Coeligena prunellei
Large hummingbird with a long straight bill. Dark blackish-brown overall with a prominent white patch on the side of the neck. Iridescent blue shoulder can be difficult to see in poor light. Very small range in the mountains of central Colombia, from around 1,200 to 2,800 m. Occurs in forests and edges; visits feeders. Sexes similar.
Identification
The black inca is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long and weighs about 6.6 to 7.0 g (0.23 to 0.25 oz). Both sexes have a long, straight, black bill and a white spot behind the eye. Adult males' upperparts are purplish black with dark metallic blue shoulders and a black forked tail. Their underparts are also dark purplish black with an iridescent blue-green gorget and a white patch on each side of the breast. Adult females are essentially the same as males but duller, with a longer bill, less blue on the shoulders, and a less forked tail. Immatures are duller than the adults and do not have a gorget.
Taxonomy
In the mid-1800s the black inca was placed in genera Bourcieria and Lamproygia by different authors. By the early 1900s it and most other current members of genus Coeligena were placed in genus Helianthea. The incas have been in their current placement since the mid-1900s. The black inca, bronzy inca (C. coeligena), and brown inca (C. wilsoni) are sister species.<p>The black inca is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Coeligena prunellei
- Authority
- (Bourcier, 1843)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Coeligena
Range and habitat
The black inca is endemic to Colombia. It is found on the west slope of the Eastern Andes from southeastern Santander and western Boyacá departments south into western Cundinamarca Department, and also on both slopes of Serranía de los Yariguíes in Santander. It mostly inhabits the interior of humid montane forest, especially those dominated by oaks, but males are also found in fragmented forest and other human-modified landscapes. In elevation it ranges between 1,200 and 2,800 m (3,900 and 9,200 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The black inca's movements, if any, are not known.<p>The black inca mostly forages for nectar by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of a wide variety of flowering plants, though it occasionally defends concentrated flower patches. It nectars at mid-levels within forest and low levels at the edges. It prefers tubular red and yellow flowers such as those of genera Fuchsia, Bomarea, Aetanthus, Aphelandra, Palicourea, Psammisia, and Thibaudia. It prefers native plants when they are abundant but in one study frequented plants of genus Abutilon and other introduced species. In addition to feeding on nectar, the black inca gleans small arthropods from foliage.<p>The black inca's breeding season is not well known but could be as long as from June to February. Only two nests are known. They were cups of tree fern scales cemented with spider silk and lined with plant down. Both were in the interior of oak forest and placed between 1.5 and 1.8 m (5 and 6 ft) above the ground. The species' incubation times and time to fledging are not known.<p>The black inca is generally quiet but does produce short ick or pip notes.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Northern Fantail
Rhipidura rufiventris
Small songbird with long tail, slim bill. Dark gray above, pale below, with a variably dark gray chest band. Often droops tail, showing very long white tips to tail feathers. Gray Fantail has pale wingbars, a narrower thin black breast band, and more prominent eyebrow. Inhabits dense vegetation of paperbark forests, mangroves, and swamps.
Southern White-fringed Antwren
Formicivora grisea
An attractive, fairly long-tailed antwren found from eastern Venezuela and Guyana to southeastern Brazil. Males are grayish-brown above and black below with a white eyebrow and white sides. Also note bold white spots on wings and tail. Females are bright tawny below, with bold white wing spots and an indistinct white eyebrow. Look for pairs foraging in the lower levels of dense shrubby woodland, often remaining fairly hidden and difficult to see clearly. Typically occurs in the lowlands up to around 1,000 m. Listen for series of rather musical clucking notes.
Black Swan
Cygnus atratus
Unmistakable large black swan with a red bill. When swimming this species is almost entirely black. Wings show extensive white flight feathers when flying. Juveniles are similar but dark-gray. In Australia, compare with Magpie Goose, which has white belly, and white underwing with black tips. Typically found along inland waterways, rivers, sewage ponds, and coastal lagoons and inlets. Sometimes flocks together in enormous numbers on large wetlands.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.