Fun Collared Inca Facts For Kids
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The collared inca (Coeligena torquata) belongs to the family of hummingbirds. They are known for their striking white chest patch and green and black plumage. Their Spanish name is Inca acollarado.
This hummingbird species is endemic to the montane forests of the Andes in Venezuela, and their distribution is through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. They have a number of subspecies that are difficult to distinguish because of their contrasting dark plumage and white-collar.
They have a straight dark bill that they use to suck in nectar from the flowers. The males have a much broader white-collar but the females have a narrow white chest. Some of their subspecies have a rufous throat.
Collared inca feeding habits involves sucking nectar from different flowers. These hummingbirds follow a routine route between a variety of flowers in the forest for foraging.
These birds are solitary throughout their life and the males separate from the females immediately after mating. The females are solely responsible for taking care of their eggs, while the males are highly territorial of their food sources.
Read on to know more about this fascinating bird. If you liked reading this article, then do check out the African cuckoo and New Zealand bellbird.
Collared Inca Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a collared inca?
The collared inca (Coeligena torquata) is a hummingbird that is native to the Andean forest.
What class of animal does a collared inca belong to?
The collared inca or Inca à collier in Spanishbelongs to the class Aves of the Trochilidae family.
How many collared incas are there in the world?
There are about 10 subspecies of collared incas in the world and they are vastly seen in Venezuela and the Andes ranges. However, their exact population size has not been quantified.
Where does a collared inca live?
The collared inca resides in the Andean forest and their range stretches from Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. The distribution of their subspecies is mostly found from Ecuador to Peru.
The species of Coeligena torquata fulgidigula is present in the western slope of Ecuador to Peru and Bolivia.
Other subspecies of the collared inca, like margaretae, insectivora and eisenmanni inhabits the eastern slope of Andes of north Peru, eastern slope of Andes of central Peru and south Peru respectively. Other sub-species live in large numbers in Venezuela and southern Andes.
What is a collared inca's habitat?
The collared inca (Coeligena torquata) inhabits the montane forests. The subspecies prefer humid dense forests of mountains where there is lush vegetation and a varied canopy of flowers.
Who do collared incas live with?
The collared inca (Coeligena torquata) is known to be solitary. These birds do not live in groups, except while mating. The male inca separates from the females immediately after mating.
How long does a collared inca live?
The average lifespan of a collared inca is around five years.
How do they reproduce?
The inca reproduces by laying eggs. Their clutch size is two and the female incubate the eggs for 18 days.
The Inca à collier (Spanish) does not practice monogamy and the male hummingbird separates from the female bird immediately after copulation is completed. The female bird is then responsible to build their nest and incubate the eggs.
The male bird mates with other female inca and the female inca can also practice the same. Breeding season takes place from November to March. The inca chicks are born blind with dark skin and rufous plumage.
The parent feeds the young ones regurgitated or swallowed up, semi-chewed food. They prey on small insects to gain protein since nectars are rich in sugar content but lack protein which is essential for the young ones to develop.
What is their conservation status?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN Red List has listed the collared inca (Coeligena torquata) as a species of Least Concern. However, the population trend of the inca is slowly decreasing due to climate change and habitat loss. This species of white collared incas can not survive in artificial habitats.
Collared Inca Fun Facts
What do collared incas look like?
The species of collared inca (Coeligena torquata) or Inca à collier in Spanish looks strikingly beautiful just like the booted racket tail and southern brad billed hummingbirds. It displays a broad and white collared neck with dark plumage of green and black colors that are spotted in the Andes.
Their tail possesses white and black coloration. They have a long straight and pointed bill.
How cute are they?
This species of inca birds are cute because of their white chest patch and dark plumage.
How do they communicate?
This southern species of hummingbird communicates with its soft delicate calls. They produce squeaky jabber that sounds like a continuous 'tsi-tsi' tone. When excited, this collared inca produces a blend of soft tones and sharp whistles.
How big is a collared inca?
The collared inca (Coeligena torquata) is about 5.7 in (14.5 cm) and smaller than the hummingbird of western South America, the Patagona gigas, which is about 8.0 in (20 cm). However, this species of inca is bigger than the bee hummingbird, which is only about 2.24 in (5.6 cm).
How fast can a collared inca fly?
The collared inca can fly extremely fast. Though their exact flying speed is not recorded, the light bodyweight of this bird species helps them to hover over varying canopies of flowers and move about quickly with the continuous flapping of their wings.
How much does a collared inca weigh?
The collared inca (Coeligena torquata) weighs about 0.00837-0.0284 lb (0.0038-0.0129 kg).
What are the male and female names of the species?
There are no specific names given to the male and female inca species.
What would you call a baby collared inca?
A baby collared inca is called a chick.
What do they eat?
The collared inca (Coeligena torquata) sucks nectar from a variety of flowers blooming in humid Andean forests. They are also seen to collect nectar while feeding from bird feeders.
During breeding, they catch small insects to feed their rufous young ones as these are the only sources of protein they can get. They are often targeted by the big birds of the world like hawks, crows, owls, gulls, and herons.
Are they dangerous?
Incas are not considered dangerous at all and do not pose any threat to humans.
Would they make a good pet?
The collared inca (Coeligena torquata) can not be kept as a pet because they are small and extremely fast flyers. This bird cannot survive in enclosed regions or cages. Their small legs and body enable them to channelize all of their energy into flying.
Did you know...
The collared inca (Coeligena torquata) and other subspecies can fly forward, backward, and sidewards. Their wings flap in horizontal patterns and they remain silent and motionless while sucking nectar. They showcase a series of aerial dances and sing soft melodious songs to defend their food sources from other birds. They also perform fascinating courtship displays.
The collared inca (Inca acollarado) is not migratory at all and is sedentary in nature. Sometimes, they tend to fly off to certain distances for seed dispersal. This bird species is well known for their seed dispersal activity and a group of species of plants depend on them for entomophilous pollination.
How many eggs do collared incas lay?
An Inca acollarado bird lays two eggs.
What is peculiar regarding a collared inca nest?
The collared inca (Coeligena torquata) builds its nest high up on rocky cliffs. Their nest is cup-shaped and hidden under dense ferns. The inca is capable of building a beautiful nest using plant fibers, animal fur, moss, and dead leaves.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our turquoise tanager facts and red-vented bulbul facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable inca mask coloring pages.
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