Coeligena wilsoni
The Brown Inca (Coeligena wilsoni) is a medium-sized, strikingly distinct hummingbird found in the humid cloud forests of the Andes. Measuring approximately 10-12 cm (4-4.7 inches) in length and weighing 6-8 grams, its most prominent feature is the male's vibrant, iridescent purplish-blue to violet gorget, often with a metallic green sheen, set against an otherwise rather dull brownish-bronze body. Both sexes share a distinctive rufous rump and vent, and a dark, slightly forked tail, but fema...
Found in humid subtropical and temperate cloud forests, forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth, typically at elevations between 1,800 and 3,000 meters (5,900-9,800 feet).
Feeds primarily on nectar from a variety of tubular flowers, particularly those from the Ericaceae and Gesneriaceae families. Supplements its diet with small insects and spiders, caught by hawking in flight or gleaning from foliage.
Brown Incas are diurnal and primarily solitary, actively foraging throughout the day, often seen hovering at tubular flowers. Males exhibit territorial behavior, defending rich flower patches against rivals and other hummingbird species. Courtship displays are not extensively documented but likel...
The Brown Inca is a resident species found exclusively in the Andean cloud forests of northwestern South America. Its breeding range extends through the Western and Central Cordilleras of Colombia, from the departments of Cauca and Nariño northwards to Antioquia (Western Cordillera) and Tolima (C...
Least Concern
- The 'wilsoni' in its scientific name honors Thomas Bellerby Wilson, an American ornithologist and patron of science. - Its common name 'Inca' refers to its distribution in the Andes, the ancient heartland of the Inca Empire. - Unlike many of its vibrantly colored 'Inca' hummingbird relatives, t...