Cola-de-raqueta Pierniblanco
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Ocreatus (underwoodii) addae
Song
Rufous-booted Racket-tail (Peruvian Racket-tail)
Appearance: The Rufous-booted Racket-tail is a tiny hummingbird with bright green plumage and the famous “racket-tail” shape in males. The male has elongated outer tail feathers ending in small dark racket-shaped tips, and the leg puffs or “boots” are rufous, not white. The female is much shorter-tailed, greener above, paler below, and lacks the male’s long racket-shaped tail. The rufous leg puffs are the feature that separates it from the White-booted Racket-tail.
Habitat: This species favors humid to wet Andean forest, especially forest edges, forest interior, and more open secondary forest. It is most numerous around 900–2,200 m, but records range from about 600 m to 4,000 m. Its typical habitat is therefore montane cloud-forest and wet forest-edge vegetation, not dry lowland scrub.
Behavior: It feeds mostly on nectar and often forages about 6–18 m above the ground. Reported nectar plants include Palicourea, Clusia, Inga, and Cavendishia. It also catches small insects by hawking from a perch. Several individuals may feed close together, and after breeding it may make seasonal elevational movements.
Breeding: The breeding season is not well studied and may include much of the year. The nest is a tiny cup made of plant fibers and lichen, usually placed on a horizontal twig around 6–10 m above the ground. The female lays two eggs, incubates them for about 16–17 days, and the young fledge about 19–22 days after hatching.
Conservation Status: The Rufous-booted Racket-tail is listed as Least Concern.
MALE
FEMALE
Distribution
Southeastern Andes of Colombia (western Putumayo, south of the upper Río Caquetá
Taxonomy
The Rufous-booted Racket-tail (Ocreatus (underwoodii) addae)
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves (Birds)
- Order: Caprimulgiformes
- Family: Trochilidae
- Genus: Ocreatus
- Species: underwoodii
- Subspecies: addae
Vocalization
Contact Call: The contact call includes single high notes such as “tsit”. These are short, thin, and sharp, probably used while moving through forest-edge vegetation, feeding areas, or between perches.
Feeding Call: While feeding or moving among flowers, it may give short single notes like “tsit” or a dry “trrt.” These notes are small and high, matching the bird’s tiny size and fast movements through wet montane vegetation.
Territorial Call: During close encounters with other hummingbirds, it may use sharper repeated single notes, especially “tsit” and “trrt.” These sounds are likely used when birds approach one another around nectar sources, although detailed behavioral descriptions are limited.
Mechanical Flight Sound: Like other hummingbirds, the Rufous-booted Racket-tail produces a soft wing hum in flight. This is not a true vocal call because it is made mechanically by the wings, but the male’s long racket-shaped tail can make the bird especially noticeable visually during hovering and display-like movements.
