Gould's Inca

Appearance

Gould's inca is about 14.5 cm long and weighs 6.8 to 7.2 g. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a mostly velvety black head with a green forehead and a small white spot behind the eye. The rest of their upperparts are golden green that is shinier on the lower back. Their central pair of tail feathers is bronze-green and the rest are white with bronze-green tips. Their throat is black, their upper breast collar orange, their belly glittering green, and their undertail coverts golden-green with white fringes. Nominate adult females have a lighter black head than males, and with golden-green spots. The rest of their upperparts are shining golden green. Their collar is rufous, usually with some green spots on the side, their breast glittering green, and their lower belly green with a rufous wash and large golden green spots. Juveniles resemble adult females. Subspecies "C. t. omissa" is similar to the nominate but has a bluish forehead, a greener throat, and mostly dark green rather than golden green upper- and underparts.

Distribution

The nominate subspecies of Gould's inca is found in the Andes of Bolivia in the departments of La Paz and Cochabamba. Subspecies "C. t. omissa" is found in the Peruvian Andes between Cuzco and Puno departments.

Status

The IUCN has assessed Gould's inca as being of Least Concern. It has a restricted range and its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. "[S]ince its habitat, humid montane cloudforest, is under heavy threat of destruction, [the] species could suffer in the near future."

Habitat

The species inhabits the understory and lower canopy of wet montane forest. In elevation it ranges between 1,600 and 3,200 m.

Reproduction

Gould's inca makes a cup nest of moss lined with fern scales. Most of those known were placed on a stick or root projecting from a rocky cliff beneath a mossy overhang. The clutch size is one or two eggs. The incubation period is not known; the time to fledging is about 23 days. The female alone incubates the clutch and cares for nestlings.

Food

Gould's inca forages by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of flowering plants. It feeds on nectar from a variety of plants, mostly those with long tubular flowers. It also catches insects by hawking from a perch or by gleaning while hovering.