A highly distinctive plump little bird covered in a delightful combination of yellow, black, white, and perfect pink.
Meet the Rufous-crowned tody flycatcher
Photo courtesy of Gary Leavens / CC BY-SA 2.0
The rufous-crowned tody-flycatcher (Poecilotriccus ruficeps) is a bird measuring 9.5 and 11 cm in length. It has a black mask, along with a red or in some cases pink to rufous crown and cheeks. The throat and upper back area are white or black with white flecks. The chest and belly area is bright yellow, while the back is olive. The wings are black, with olive and black stripes. The back area is olive – green, while the crown is pink to bright rufous. The back of the neck is grey, separated by a black line. The tail is olive brown and the throat and upper chest area is white.
Photo courtesy of Gary Leavens / CC BY-SA 2.0
Both males and females look very similar.
Both sexes have a black bill and whitish legs.
Photo courtesy of Gary Leavens / CC BY-SA 2.0
These birds are found in the Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and far northern Peru.
The Rufus – crowned tody flycatcher likes to be in and around thickets, bushes, secondary growth, and forest clearance. It can also sometimes be found in meadows, hedgerows, and densely forested areas amongst bushes.
These birds like to feed on small insects and spiders.
During the breeding season, these birds build a ball-shaped nest with a hooded side entrance suspended from bamboo shoots. The average height of these nests is 2.5 m from the ground with a clutch of up to 2 eggs laid within.
Photo courtesy of Gary Leavens / CC BY-SA 2.0
You can watch this bird right here in the video below:
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