Rufous-booted racket-tail
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Ocreatus addae

The rufous-booted racket-tail (Ocreatus addae ) is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.

Appearance

All racket-tails have pronounced sexual dimorphism. Only the male has elongated outer rectrices (tail feathers) that have bare shafts with terminal flags. On both the annae and addae racket-tails, those feathers are decurved and cross; the flags are asymmetric ellipses. Male rufous-booted racket-tails are 11 to 15 cm (4.3 to 5.9 in) long including the 5.5 to 6 cm (2.2 to 2.4 in) long outer tail feathers, and weigh 2.5 to 2.7 g (0.088 to 0.095 oz). Females are 7.6 to 9 cm (3.0 to 3.5 in) long and weigh 2.6 to 3.2 g (0.092 to 0.11 oz). Both sexes of annae and addae have greenish upperparts without a glittering forehead, both have a white spot behind the eye, and both have buff leg puffs. Males of annae have a greenish gray throat and a solid green belly. Their tail flags are dark bronzy purple. Females have a white throat and breast heavily spotted with green. Males of addae have a mostly white throat with some green and a white belly with green spots. Their tail flags are greenish black. Like annae, females have a white throat and breast heavily spotted with green.

Distribution

Geography

The annae rufous-booted racket-tail is found on the east slope of the Andes of central and southern Peru. The addae rufous-booted racket-tail is found on the east slope of the Bolivian Andes. The species favors the edges of humid to wet forest but is also found in the forest interior and in more open secondary forest. It is most numerous at elevations between 1,600 and 2,200 m (5,200 and 7,200 ft) but is found as low as 600 m (2,000 ft) and as high as 4,000 m (13,000 ft).

Rufous-booted racket-tail habitat map
Rufous-booted racket-tail habitat map
Rufous-booted racket-tail
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Habits and Lifestyle

The rufous-booted racket-tail makes seasonal elevational movements after breeding.

Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

The rufous-booted racket-tail typically forages between 6 and 18 m (20 and 60 ft) above the ground. It takes nectar from a variety of plants such as those of genera Palicourea, Clusia, Inga, and Cavendishia. Often several birds will feed close together. In addition to feeding on nectar it captures small insects by hawking from a perch.

Mating Habits

The rufous-booted racket-tail's breeding season has not been studied but might include most of the year. It makes a tiny cup nest of plant fiber and lichen, typically on a horizontal twig 6 to 8 m (20 to 30 ft) above the ground. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for 16 to 17 days; fledging occurs 19 to 22 days after hatch.

Population

Population number

The IUCN follows HBW taxonomy and so recognizes only one species of Ocreatus as the booted racket-tail. It has assessed the species as being of Least Concern. It has a large range, and though its population size is not known it is believed to be stable. No immediate threats are known. The racket-tail complex as a whole is very common and occurs in several protected areas.

References

1. Rufous-booted racket-tail Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous-booted_racket-tail
2. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/468196

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