Taxonomy and systematics
The brown inca and most other members of genus ''Coeligena'' were at one time placed in genus ''Helianthea'' but have been in their current placement since the mid-1900s.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 31 January 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved February 1, 2022 The brown inca, bronzy inca (''C. coeligena''), and black inca (''C. prunellei'') are sister species.Züchner, T. and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Brown Inca (''Coeligena wilsoni''), 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.broinc2.01 retrieved 27 April 2022 The brown inca is monotypic. The species' specific epithet commemorates the American naturalist Thomas Bellerby Wilson.Description
The brown inca is about long. Males weigh about and females about . Both sexes have a long, straight, black bill and a white spot behind the eye. Adult males' upperparts are reddish bronze with a greenish olive lower back and a bronzy forked tail. Their underparts are mostly dull brown with an amethyst Gorget (bird), gorget and a white patch on each side of the breast. Adult females are essentially the same as males but for a longer bill, a smaller gorget, and a less forked tail. Immatures resemble the adult female.Distribution and habitat
The brown inca is found on the Pacific Slope, Pacific slope of the Andes from Colombia's Chocó Department south through Ecuador all the way to Loja Province. It most commonly inhabits the edges of cloudforest and is also found in the forest interior. In elevation it generally ranges from . However, it is most common below and has been recorded as high as .Behavior
Movement
The brown inca probably makes some seasonal movements but little data are available.Feeding
The brown inca forages for nectar by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of a wide variety of flowering plants low in the forest understory. Examples include genera ''Psammisia'', ''Macleania'', ''Cavendishia'', and ''Fuchsia''. In addition to feeding on nectar it gleans small arthropods from vegetation and sometimes captures them by Hawking (birds), hawking.Breeding
The brown inca's breeding season spans from January to June. It builds a cup nest of moss and plant fibers, typically above ground in a fork of a small tree. The female alone incubates the clutch of two eggs for 15 to 16 days; fledging occurs 22 to 26 days after hatch.Vocalization
What is thought to be the brown inca's song is "a repeated phrase comprising three notes, 'tsip-tzreeew-tzrew'". It has a variety of calls such as "tsit" and "tsi-tsit" notes and a "tsitsitsitsitsit…tsitsitsi...tsitsitsit..." series. In flight it utters "a short rattle 'trrr', short twitters... [and] a high-pitched 'tzree...tzee...tzee...tzee'."Status
The IUCN has assessed the brown inca as being of Least-concern species, Least Concern, though its population size is unknown and believed to be decreasing. It is regarded as uncommon to locally common. Its habitat is under threat by deforestation and it is not known if the species accepts human-altered landscapes. It does occur in several protected areas.References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q510226 Coeligena, brown inca Birds of the Colombian Andes Birds of the Ecuadorian Andes Birds described in 1846, brown inca Taxa named by Jules Bourcier, brown inca