Black-breasted Puffbird

Overview

The black-breasted puffbird (Notharchus pectoralis) is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae, found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. It is closely related to the brown-banded puffbird and is currently assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, though its population is believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Length of 19 to 23 cm with a weight of 60 to 69 g.
• Mostly glossy blue-black plumage featuring a white collar, cheeks, throat, and belly, along with a blue-black breast band.
• Black tail with white tips, narrow white scallops on the closed wing and rump, and dark grey flanks with buffy marks.
• Heavy black bill and feet, with dark brown or red irises.
• Song consists of 10–30 loud 'kwee' whistles followed by lower 'whew' whistles and fading 'wheet-whew' wolf-whistles, plus a rasping 'chah-chah-chah' territorial call.

Habitat

Inhabits humid lowland rainforest and secondary forest from sea level to 1,000 m. The range extends from the Canal Zone of Panama east into central Colombia and south through western Colombia into northwestern Ecuador. It is seldom found near forest edges, is more restricted to forests than its close relatives, and is often found near running water.

Diet

Hunts from a perch by diving on prey and also follows army ant swarms, beating its catch on the perch before eating it. Prey includes centipedes, millipedes, scorpions, spiders, cockroaches, mantises, grasshoppers, beetles, and lizards.

Did you know?

Both parents excavate the nesting burrow in an arboreal termitarium, typically located between 2.3 and 12.5 m high. The species may be overlooked frequently due to its habit of remaining motionless for hours.