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Collared Inca - BirdForum Opus

Probably subspecies fulgidigula
Photo © by Momo
Tandayapa Valley, Ecuador, January 2007

Includes Gould's Inca

Coeligena torquata

Identification

  • Long straight black bill
  • Mostly green but in male with black in head and upper back.
  • Blue area on crown and white spot behind eye
  • Lightly forked tail where the outer tail feathers have a large area of white.
  • Green and black throat
  • Large white area on upper breast

Variation

Southern subspecies have less black and blue and more green in the head and crown areas. Female of subspecies eisenmanni has throat with some buff, similar to Gould's Inca.

Female
Photo © by Leif G
Guango Lodge, Ecuador, October 2009

Distribution

North-western Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Taxonomy

Gould's Inca and Green Inca were formally included in this species.

Subspecies

There are 5 subspecies[1]

  • C. t. torquata:
  • Andes of Colombia to north-western Venezuela (Táchira) and northern Peru
  • C. t. fulgidigula:
  • C. t. margaretae:
  • Andes of northern Peru (Chachapoyas)
  • C. t. insectivora:
  • Andes of central Peru
  • C. t. eisenmanni:
  • Southern Peru (Cordillera Vilcabamba)

Habitat

Forests in upper subtropical and temperate zones, mainly between 1800-3000 m asl with some geographical variation.

Behaviour

Seems to use routes through the forest to visit flowers with set intervals.

Diet

The diet includes nectar and insects.

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
  2. SACC proposal to split into two species (not passed)

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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