| Rufous-capped thornbill | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Chalcostigma |
| Species: | C. ruficeps |
| Binomial name | |
| Chalcostigma ruficeps (Gould, 1846) | |
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The rufous-capped thornbill (Chalcostigma ruficeps) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. [3] [4]
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 . [5] 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. [6] [7] The rufous-capped thornbill is monotypic. [3]
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. [7]
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. [3] [7] [8] 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). [7]
The rufous-capped thornbill possibly makes seasonal elevational movements. [7]
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. [7]
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. [7]
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'." [7]
The IUCN has assessed the rufous-capped thornbill as being of Least Concern. It has a large range but its population size is unknown and believed to be decreasing. [1] It is generally uncommon but appears to tolerate some human-caused environmental changes. [7]
The wire-crested thorntail is a hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in humid forests in the Andean foothills of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and possibly Bolivia.
The rufous-breasted sabrewing is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
The rainbow-bearded thornbill is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The olivaceous thornbill is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.
The blue-mantled thornbill is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The rufous-webbed brilliant is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Peru.
The gilded sapphire, also known as the gilded hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The rufous-throated sapphire is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, the Guianas, Peru, Venezuela and possibly Argentina and Paraguay.
The spot-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Peru but there are uncorroborated sightings in Ecuador.
The dot-eared coquette is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia and Brazil.
The peacock coquette is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
The spangled coquette, coquette pailletée (French), coqueta coronada, or coqueta lentejuelada is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The scaled metaltail is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.
The fiery-throated metaltail or fire-throated metaltail is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Peru.
The bearded mountaineer or eastern mountaineer is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Peru.
The needle-billed hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru.
The white-rumped hawk is a species of bird of prey in subfamily Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
The rufous-chested plover or rufous-chested dotterel, is a species of bird in subfamily Charadriinae of family Charadriidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.
The red-stained woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The butterfly coquette is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
