Rufous-crested Coquette Lophornis delattrei Scientific name definitions

These coquettes spend very little time in the forest and instead feed on low flowering plants around shrubby clearings, roadsides, or the forest edge. Their flight is rather beelike and individuals tend to favor high perches. Both sexes are remarkably similar in appearance to the Spangled Coquette (Lophornis stictolphus). The male’s striking, elongated, rufous crest is more spiky than the bushy crest of the Spangled Coquette, and females are potentially distinguished by the bronzy green underparts and more cinnamon throat (instead of mostly white) found on the Rufous-crested.

6·4–7 cm; c. 2·8 g. Male has short straight bill, red, tipped black; crest long (c. 2 cm) filamentous, rufous , green tips distally; rest of upperparts bronzy-green with white band across rump , lower rump and uppertail-coverts purplish-bronze; throat glittering green, cheek tufts not as conspicuous as in other congeners, rufous with broad iridescent green distal band, throat subtended by some white pointed feathers, rest of underparts bronzy green; tail double-rounded, central pair of rectrices green, remainder cinnamon-rufous, tipped black and edged green. Female lacks crest and tufts, forehead dull cinnamon-rufous, upperparts similar to male; throat buffy to pale rufous with bronzy discs distally, rest of underparts similar to male but duller; tail rounded, central pair of rectrices green, tipped blackish, others cinnamon with blackish subterminal bar, tips pale buff. Immature resembles adult female but throat greyish. Race <em>lessoni</em> has more sharply pointed crest feathers with green almost absent, white terminal throat feathers less pointed.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Also recorded in Ecuador (race uncertain).

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SUBSPECIES

Lophornis delattrei lessoni Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Pacific and Caribbean slopes of Panama, and C and E Andes of Colombia (Magdalena Valley and Santander). Old records from Costa Rica.

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SUBSPECIES

Lophornis delattrei delattrei Scientific name definitions

Distribution

E slope in N Peru (San Martín) and N Bolivia (to Beni and W Santa Cruz).

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Edges of humid forest, clearings, along roadsides, and semi-open habitats with bushes, at 600–2000 m. Forages at lower levels.

Sedentary.

Feeds on nectar of flowering Inga, Myrtaceae, Verbenaceae and other small flowering plants. Arthropods are caught in the air by hawking.

Mostly silent. A high, sharp “tsip” when feeding. Also quiet dry chips, “chi..chi-chi-chi..”. When hovering, wings make a low bee-like humming sound.

No information available; presumably breeds during drier season like congeners. Courtship in males may include display of crest and flights in front of perching females .

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. Generally rare, though not restricted to forest habitats, and therefore not affected directly by extensive deforestation within its range. Occurs in Beni Biosphere Reserve (NC Bolivia).