Ocreatus addae
The Rufous-booted Racket-tail (Ocreatus addae) is a captivating and distinct hummingbird endemic to the high Andes, instantly recognizable by the male's unique plumage. Males measure around 7.6-8.2 cm in body length, with the extraordinary outer tail feathers extending an additional 5-8 cm, often culminating in iridescent green or bronze 'rackets' or 'paddles'. Weighing a mere 2.5-3.5 grams, its body is predominantly iridescent green with a clean white belly, but its most striking feature, be...
Found primarily in humid montane evergreen forests, cloud forests, and forest edges of the Andes, typically at elevations between 2,000 and 3,000 meters above sea level.
Primarily nectivorous, feeding on nectar from a variety of small flowers and epiphytes, supplemented significantly by small arthropods (insects and spiders) gleaned from foliage or hawked in flight.
Rufous-booted Racket-tails are diurnal, actively foraging throughout the day and likely roosting quietly on branches at night. They exhibit a 'trap-lining' foraging strategy, systematically visiting a circuit of flowering plants for nectar, and also glean or hawk small insects and spiders from fo...
The Rufous-booted Racket-tail is endemic to the eastern slopes of the Andes in South America, with its distribution primarily centered in central and southern Peru and extending into Bolivia. In Peru, it is found along the eastern cordillera from JunÃn south to Cusco and Puno. Its range continues...
Least Concern
- The Rufous-booted Racket-tail is one of the smallest birds in the world to sport such a dramatically elongated tail ornament. - The 'boots' are actually dense tufts of feathers on their tarsi (lower legs), a unique characteristic among many hummingbird species. - Males use their elaborate racke...