Vilcabamba Inca

Description (Collared Inca)

Due to the fact that most ornithologists consider the Vilcabamba Inca as a subspecies of the Collared Inca (Coeligena torquata) and that the two look very similar, understanding the traits of the Collared Inca is key towards identifying her relative, the Vilcabamba Inca

The two species will have similar traits

Life span 4.2 years (IUCN Red List)

Species of hummingbird found in the Andean forests in a range that stretches from western Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru

White chest patch

White on the tail

10-14 cm in length

Long black beak (3-3.5 cm)

Appears black except for white chest patch

With the right lighting, you can see a bright metallic violet forehead on the males

White thighs

Dusky feet

Males have a green throat

With the right lighting, a dark green can be seen mixed with the black in the body

Black tail

Females are a lighter green overall than the males with a smaller chest patch

Diet

Nectar

Insects (Birds of the World)

Subspecies

The Collared Inca has several subspecies

Understanding these subspecies will be key towards identifying the Vilcabamba Inca

Coeligena torquata eisenmanni (Vilcabamba Inca)

Lives within a small area to the northwest of Cusco, Peru

Both genders have some coppery uppertail coverts

Male has a black head except for crown

Female has a rufous chin

Coeligena torquata conradii

Lives in Venezuela

This subspecies is much greener

Has a cinnamon-buffy throat with rufous-brown spots

Smaller chest-patch

Buffy belly

Coeligena torquata torquata

Lives in Colombia on the east slope of the Andes in Ecuador and part of Peru

Coeligena torquata fulgidigula

Lives on the west slope in Ecuador

This subspecies is greener than the Collared Inca

Patch on male’s forehead that shimmers blue

Male’s chin is a metallic turquoise

Coeligena torquata margaretae

Lives from the Central Amazonas Region of Peru to the Pasco Region of Peru

This subspecies has a two-part (shimmering green and blue) forehead patch in males

Females have a white and green-spotted chin

Coeligena torquata insectivora

Lives from the Pasco Region to the Ayacucho Region in Peru

Coeligena torquata omissa

Lives from Cuzco south to Bolivia

Commonly known as Gould’s Inca that is considered by some to be a separate species

Both genders have a completely rufous chest patch

The Coeligena torquata inca may be an additional subspecies (Aves de Colombia) 

Habitat

Lives in Peru at an altitude range between 1,600-3,000 m (IUCN Red List)

Inhabits cloud forests in humid subtropical and temperate zones (Birds of the World)

This species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN which made its last assessment in 2016. Despite her small range, the Vilcabamba Inca is classified as such because there is not enough data according to the IUCN's criteria to classify this bird as Vulnerable or Endangered. Even though the population size of this species is unknown, it is thought to be decreasing due to the loss of the cloud forests that it inhabits in Peru (IUCN Red List).

This species has a range of 12,500 square kilometers (Data Zone-Birdlife International). For a distribution map of the Vilcabamba Inca, click here.

The last specimen was collected from cloud forest in the isolated Vilcabamba mountains of Peru (July 1967; AMNH 820476). However, it seems likely to be only a matter of time before this bird will be photographed.

American Museum of Natural History, USA.

This species was described by Dr. J. Weske in 1985 as a new subspecies of Collared Inca. According to him, this bird was found in mid-elevation forest in the northern Cordillera Vilcabamba which is located in the front range of the Andes in south-central Peru. The lowlands of the Rio Apurimac valley creates a barrier between the Vilcabamba Inca and her relatives to the west and northwest of the country. He remarks that the bird's plumage pattern and range coincides with the northern, white-banded subspecies group of the Collared Inca and the southern, rufous-banded group (Weske, 1985). It is interesting to note that Weske does not actually list the Vilcabamba Inca as a separate species but as a subspecies of the Collared Inca. This seems to be the consensus among many ornithologists.

The cloud forests that the Vilcabamba Inca inhabits in Peru are being destroyed as we speak (IUCN Red List).

A DNA analysis of museum specimens may help settle the debate among taxonomists about whether or not the Vilcabamba Inca is a subspecies of the Collared Inca or a separate species.

Order: Caprimulgiformes; Apodiformes

Family: Trochilidae

Genus: Coeligena

Species: Coeligena eisenmanni or Coeligena torquata eisenmanni

There is a fierce debate among taxonomists regarding whether or not to treat the Vilcabamba Inca as a distinct species or as a subspecies of the Collared Inca (Coeligena torquata). The Collared Inca herself is no less controversial because taxonomists disagree about whether to put this bird in the Caprimulgiformes or the Apodiformes order. The Cornell Lab, the IUCN, and others place this bird with the Caprimulgiformes while others (such as Aves de Colombia) prefer the Apodiformes order. Nonetheless, there is agreement on placing this bird along with the Collared Inca in the Trochilidae family.

Depending on the organization, the Collared Inca has several subspecies. According to the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements Taxonomy, there are five species of Collared Inca: Coeligena torquata torquata, coeligena torquata fulgidigula, coeligena torquata margaretae, coeligena torquata insectivora, and coeligena torquata eisenmanni (Vilcabamba Inca). The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (SACC) adds three other subspecies: coeligena torquata conradii, coeligena torquata omissa, and coeligena torquata inca. The IOC and Clements treat the first as the Green Inca and the other two as the Gould's Inca. It seems to be primarily Birdlife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World that sees the Vilcabamba Inca as a separate species and that the consensus is that this bird is a subspecies of the Collared Inca (Birds of the World).