The moustached puffbird (''Malacoptila mystacalis'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

near-passerine Near passerines and higher land-bird assemblage are terms of traditional, pre-cladistic taxonomy that have often been given to tree-dwelling birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines (order Passeriformes) owing to mor ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family

Bucconidae The puffbirds and their relatives in the near passerine family Bucconidae are tropical tree-dwelling insectivorous birds that are found from South America up to Mexico. Together with their closest relatives, the jacamars, they form a divergent ...

, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is one of seven species in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

''Malacoptila''. It is found in Colombia,

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The moustached puffbird is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

, though the population in southwestern Colombia might merit treatment as a subspecies. It is thought to form a superspecies with the

white-whiskered puffbird The white-whiskered puffbird (''Malacoptila panamensis''), also called the white-whiskered soft-wing or brown puffbird, is a near-passerine bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is found from southeastern Mexic ...

(''M. panamensis'') and

black-streaked puffbird The black-streaked puffbird (''Malacoptila fulvogularis'') is a species of near-passerine bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Taxonomy and systematics Th ...

(''M. fulvogularis'').Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021Rasmussen, P. C. and N. Collar (2020). Moustached Puffbird (''Malacoptila mystacalis''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.moupuf1.01 retrieved November 9, 2021

Description

The moustached puffbird is long and weighs . Unlike most puffbirds, the male and female have different plumages. Both sexes have bristles around the base of the large

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

, and white "whiskers", which are actually tufts of feathers. The adult male is drab brown above with white to buffy spots on the back and the wing

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are s ...

. Its tail is brown with small buffy markings. Its lores and a half ring behind the eye are white. The chin, throat, and breast are rufous with indistinct darker streaks on the last. The belly is white and the flanks dull brown with whitish bars and streaks. The bill is black, the eye red, and the feet silvery bluish. The adult female is grayer above with heavier buff markings and has a paler breast with heavier streaks. Immatures are darker with less obvious light markings and is less rufous on the breast.

Distribution and habitat

The moustached puffbird is found in the Andes, in northern and northwestern Venezuela through Colombia and slightly into northern Ecuador. It is primarily a bird of the undergrowth of humid and wet forests, though it also occurs along the edges of forest and in open woodland. It usually stays within of the ground. In elevation it ranges from .Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved August 24, 2021

Behavior

Feeding

No information has been published about the moustached puffbird's feeding behavior or diet.

Breeding

The moustached puffbird appears to breed between May and August in Venezuela and February to September in Colombia. It nests in a hole excavated in an earth bank, but no other details of its breeding phenology are known.

Vocalization

The moustached puffbird's song is a " gh thin peeping" like that of other puffbirds in its genus.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the moustached puffbird as being of Least Concern. Though its population has not been determined, it is thought to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1240293 moustached puffbird Birds of the Colombian Andes Birds of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Birds of the Venezuelan Coastal Range moustached puffbird Taxonomy articles created by Polbot