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Russet-throated Puffbird - BirdForum Opus

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most likely subspecies decolor
Photo © by Robert Scanlon
Nr Perico, N Colombia
Hypnelus ruficollis

Identification

18-22cm, a species with large head and longish tail.

  • The upperparts including crown are brown with whitish spotting on wing coverts
  • Rich rufous band on lower throat and black band across breast
  • Whitish chin and area between the two bands across the undersides
  • Lower underparts buffy to pale
  • Flanks have dark spots or bars
  • Large yellow eye and a dark arch below the eye
  • Thick, black hook-tipped bill

Variation

Subspecies coloratus
Photo © by iainp
Photo taken: South of Maracaibo Basin, Venezuela

Subspecies striaticollis) has a thin breast band and paler throat

Distribution

Northeastern Colombia and much of Venezuela.

Taxonomy

Two-banded Puffbird was formerly included in this species.

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized[1]:

  • H. r. ruficollis:
  • H. r. decolor:
  • Extreme northeastern Colombia (Guajira Peninsula) and northwestern Venezuela (northern Falcón, on or near the base of the Paraguaná Peninsula)
  • H. r. coloratus:

Habitat

Lowland in varied habitats: open forest, savanna, riparian, dry thickets, second growth. In strongly wooded areas seems to prefer edges.

Behaviour

It excavates a burrow in an arboreal termite colony, and lays 3 white eggs. May also utilize other nesting opertunities, data are lacking.

The diet includes insects, lizards and other small prey, but also seeds.

Vocalisation

Both a simple and a more complex song pattern has been described; both are frequently given as duets.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.1)_red. Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
  3. Restall, R., C. Rodner, M. Lentino. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
  4. Greeney, H. F. and P. F. D. Boesman (2022). Russet-throated Puffbird (Hypnelus ruficollis), version 3.0. In Birds of the World (B. K. Keeney and N. D. Sly, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rutpuf1.03

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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