Although its shape may look like a bird, it actually belongs to the hummingbird family. The rufous-crested coquette or reddish-crested coquette is an apodiforme of the family Trochilidae.
This beautiful creature is characterized by its and the fact that its tail is longer than its body. It lives in the Neotropical region, from Mexico to northwest Argentina, in humid montane and subtropical forest habitats.
It is generally identified by its tiny and colorful size, with its orange head plume and its body plumage in various shades.
Characteristics of the Rufous-crested Coquette
This bird is characterized by presenting a great diversity of tones depending on the subspecies to which it belongs. The males have an intense red tail with black tips, while the females are more discreet in their colors, having green, yellow and brown tones.
Some of the most notable characteristics of the Rufous-crested Coquette are:
- They are approximately 13 cm in length and between 11 and 12 cm in height.
- Its plumage is bright and striking colors, blue, green and bright yellow.
- They have a long tail that can reach up to 28 cm.
- They have a diet consisting mainly of insects and nectar, such as larvae, insects, seeds and fruits.
- His song is very special, characteristic and unique.
- It is characterized by a crest on its head, which floats depending on its mood.
- Their preferred natural habitats are dry areas with few trees, such as savannas, meadows and grasslands, medium and low vegetation, agricultural crops, gardens, open fields, etc., and dry forests, such as hillocks and thorny scrub.
- It has an agile and fast flight, however they usually spend most of their time in trees and bushes.
A vulnerable species
The Rufous-crested Coquette is one of the species classified as “vulnerable” according to the red list of the (International Union for Conservation of Nature), due largely to its progressive habitat reduction due to wood extraction, the emission of greenhouse gases, global warming and other human activities.
In fact, the decline in its population is due to habitat fragmentation. This habitat loss is a particularly serious problem, where the habitat area has been reduced by half in less than 50 years. For these reasons, the Rufous-crested Coquette is now in danger of extinction, and its conservation status is critical.
If we summarize it we can say that the threats to this species are:
- Habitat changes: The forests where Lophornis delattrei lives are being lost at an alarming rate, whether due to indiscriminate logging, forest burning, extensive agriculture or resource extraction.
- Habitat fragmentation: Urban development continues to fragment the habitat of this species, causing the isolation of its populations and decreasing its distribution area.
- Hunting and illegal trafficking: many individuals are hunted or traded illegally.
- Pollution: Polluted air, water and soil are a threat to the survival of Lophornis delattrei. The acidification of the seas with industrial compounds also impacts the health of this species.
Curiosities of the Rufous-crested coquette
- It is capable of producing a song very similar to that of the brown blackbird, which is particularly interesting, since it is a bird that belongs to the Trochilidae family.
- As a unique characteristic, it has a crest, which is a ring-shaped tail of long hair that surrounds the neck.
- They are highly social and territorial birds. A pair of Rufous-crested Coquette can be together for a lifetime.
- They have a special ability to find food, they are specialists in finding fruits and materials for building their nests in the forests.