Russet-throated Puffbird

Overview

The russet-throated puffbird (Hypnelus ruficollis) is a near-passerine bird in the family Bucconidae found in Colombia and Venezuela. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a believed stable population across a large range.

Identification

• Length of 20 to 22 cm with a weight of 41 to 57 g, featuring a dark brown crown with pale brown spots and a reddish spot above the bill.
• Distinctive plumage includes a rich rufous throat, a white chin, and a chest marked by a thin white and wide black band.
• Underparts are reddish buff with black bars or spots on the flanks, while the bill is black and the eye ranges from yellow to white.
• Song consists of repeated rhythmic 'woduk' notes in crescendo lasting up to 20 seconds, often sung by pairs at dawn, alongside a 'seeeeep' call.

Habitat

This species inhabits open to semi-open landscapes, including the interior and edges of open deciduous forest, treed savanna, dense secondary forest, and arid scrub with scattered trees. It occurs in Colombia and Venezuela at elevations up to 700 m in Venezuela and approximately 1,300 m in Colombia, where it is thought to be a year-round resident.

Diet

The russet-throated puffbird still-hunts from perches up to 8 m above ground, sallying to capture prey on the ground, in vegetation, or on branches and trunks. Its diet consists primarily of insects but also includes small vertebrates such as lizards and some fruits.

Did you know?

The bird usually excavates a burrow in an arboreal termitarium for nesting, though it occasionally uses the oven-shaped nest of the pale-legged hornero. It has a clutch size of three eggs.