Collared Puffbird

Overview

The collared puffbird (Bucco capensis) is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae, characterised by its striking colouration and distinct vocalisations. Currently assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, it is a monotypic species with a widespread distribution across the Amazon Basin.

Identification

• Approximately 19 cm long, with a dark rufous head and back contrasting with a lighter rufous rump.
• A wide black collar encircles the chest and upper back, separating the dark upperparts from the buffy white lower breast and belly.
• The bill is mostly orange with some dusky on the maxilla, and the eye is surrounded by bare orange-yellow skin.
• Song consists of a repeated, brisk mewing 'cua-will, cua-will...' or 'awww awwAWW-chaw', often performed as a duet at or just before dawn.

Habitat

Found in most of the Amazon Basin, ranging from southeastern Colombia through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and Brazil. It inhabits humid primary terra firme forest, drier hilly country, and várzea forest, typically at elevations below 1,000 m.

Diet

The bird hunts by sallying from a shaded perch to pluck prey from foliage, bark, or the forest floor. Its diet consists of lizards, snakes, frogs, and large insects, and it may occasionally join mixed-species foraging flocks or follow army ant swarms.

Did you know?

The species was first described using the French name 'Le barbu' and the Latin name Bucco, based on a specimen collected in French Guiana. The specific epithet capensis is a misnomer, as Linnaeus mistakenly believed the birds occurred at the Cape of Good Hope.