Bucco macrodactylus
The Chestnut-capped Puffbird (*Bucco macrodactylus*) is a striking member of the Bucconidae family, characterized by its distinctive plumage and cryptic behavior. Measuring approximately 18-20 cm (7-8 inches) in length and weighing around 35-50 grams, its most prominent feature is a rich rufous-chestnut cap extending to the nape, sharply contrasting with a clean white throat and a broad, prominent black breast band. Its upperparts are dark brown to blackish, often appearing finely scaled or m...
This puffbird primarily inhabits lowland humid evergreen forests, including terra firme and várzea, as well as forest edges and clearings with scattered trees, typically found below 600 meters in elevation but occasionally up to 1000 meters.
Its diet primarily consists of large insects, such as crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas, moths, and beetles, which it captures by sallying from a perch; it may also occasionally take small vertebrates like lizards or frogs.
The Chestnut-capped Puffbird exhibits a characteristically sedentary and cryptic diurnal behavior, often perching motionless for extended periods on exposed branches, vines, or dead snags. It employs a classic 'sit-and-wait' foraging strategy, sallying out with a quick flight to snatch flying ins...
The Chestnut-capped Puffbird is a resident species distributed across the upper Amazon Basin in South America. Its breeding range extends through eastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and vast stretches of western and central Brazil. This species is non-migratory, rem...
Least Concern
- The name "Puffbird" refers to their loose, fluffy plumage, which gives them a somewhat plump, disheveled appearance. - Despite being related to woodpeckers and toucans (Order Piciformes), they do not excavate wood for nesting; instead, they dig elaborate burrows in earthen banks. - They are mas...