- 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 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:
- H. r. coloratus:
- Western Venezuela (south of Lake Maracaibo)
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
- 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/
- 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/
- Restall, R., C. Rodner, M. Lentino. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
- 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
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Russet-throated Puffbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Russet-throated_Puffbird
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1