Bird Guide

Brown Inca vs Collared Inca

Brown Inca (Coeligena wilsoni)

Brown Inca

Coeligena wilsoni

Tiny7 gForest

The brown inca is about 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) long. Males weigh about 7.0 g (0.25 oz) and females about 6.5 g (0.23 oz). Both sexes have a long, straight, black bill and a white spot behind the eye. Adult males' upperparts are reddish bronze with a greenish olive lower back and a bronzy forked tail. Their underparts are mostly dull brown with an amethyst gorget and a white patch on each side of the breast. Adult females are essentially the same as males but for a longer bill, a smaller gorget, and a less forked tail. Immatures resemble the adult female. Voice: What is thought to be the brown inca's song is "a repeated phrase comprising three notes, 'tsip-tzreeew-tzrew'". It has a variety of calls such as "tsit" and "tsi-tsit" notes and a "tsitsitsitsitsit…tsitsitsi...tsitsitsit..." series. In flight it utters "a short rattle 'trrr', short twitters... a high-pitched 'tzree...tzee...tzee...tzee'."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Andy Morffew from Itchen Abbas, Hampshire, UK · CC BY 2.0
Collared Inca (Coeligena torquata)

Collared Inca

Coeligena torquata

Tiny7 gForest

10–14 centimetres (3.9–5.5 in) in length, with a rather long (3–3.5 centimetres (1.2–1.4 in)), straight, black beak. Under most lighting conditions Coeligena torquata torquata appears black except for a very large and distinctive white chest-patch. However, in ideal lighting other features can be discerned: a shimmering metallic violet forehead patch in males, white thighs, fleshy-dusky feet, shimmering green throat in males, dull and containing some white in females, and some dark green mixed in with the black of the body.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Soler97 at English Wikipedia (Original text: Tad Boniecki) · Public domain

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Brown Inca and Collared Inca.