About the Rufous-capped Thornbill
The rufous-capped thornbill is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The rufous-capped thornbill is about 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and weighs 3.3 to 3.9 g (0.12 to 0.14 oz). Both sexes have a very short black bill. The male's crown is mahogany red and the rest of the upperparts bottle green. It has a narrow emerald green gorget with a border of various shades of yellow. Its underparts are rufous with green mottling that is strongest on the flanks. The tail is dull olive green. The female's upperparts including the crown are bottle green. Its throat and breast are ochre-orange with olive green dots. Its outer tail feathers have pale tips. Voice: The rufous-capped thornbill's vocalizations are not well known, but do include "a short dry double rattle 'trr-trr'" and "a rising/falling twitter 't-tr-tr-tsee-tseee-tititrrr'."
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in October · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Bronze-tailed ThornbillChalcostigma heteropogonThe bronze-tailed thornbill is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 5.9 to 6.3 g (0.21 to 0.22 oz).
Olivaceous ThornbillChalcostigma olivaceumThe olivaceous thornbill is 12 to 15 cm (4.7 to 5.9 in) long.
Blue-mantled ThornbillChalcostigma stanleyiThe blue-mantled thornbill is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long; males weigh about 6.2 g (0.22 oz) and females 4.5 g (0.16 oz).
Learn the Rufous-capped Thornbill for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.