The black-breasted puffbird is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.
Region
Chocó–Darién bioregion
Typical Environment
Occurs from eastern Panama through the Pacific lowlands of western Colombia to northwestern Ecuador. It favors humid lowland and foothill forests, especially along forest edges, clearings with tall trees, and river corridors. Most activity is in the mid to upper canopy, but it will drop to lower levels along gaps and edges. It tolerates tall secondary growth but avoids heavily fragmented, open landscapes.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 900 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Black-breasted puffbirds are sit-and-wait predators that sally from exposed perches to snap up prey with a stout, slightly hooked bill. They often nest by excavating burrows in arboreal termitaria or in rotting wood, with both parents sharing incubation and care. Their puffy appearance comes from loose plumage and a relaxed posture while perched for long periods.
Temperament
still, watchful, and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short, direct flights with rapid wingbeats from perch to perch
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes with a dependent juvenile. Pairs maintain territories and communicate with clear whistles. Nesting typically involves excavating a cavity in an arboreal termitarium or rotten trunk, with both sexes participating in incubation and feeding.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives clear, mellow whistles, often a repeated or slightly descending series. Calls include sharp, piercing notes used in pair contact and territory advertisement.
Plumage
Dark upperparts with a contrasting white throat and collar, clean white belly, and a broad black breast band. Wings and tail are dark with faint spotting or pale edging; feathers appear loose and fluffy when perched. Overall neat, sharply contrasted pattern typical of Notharchus puffbirds.
Diet
Primarily hunts large insects such as beetles, orthopterans, and katydids, along with spiders. It occasionally takes small vertebrates like lizards or small frogs and may rarely pick small fruits. Prey is usually captured in quick sallies from a perch and subdued with the heavy bill.
Preferred Environment
Feeds along forest edges, canopy gaps, riverbanks, and tall secondary growth where exposed perches are available. Most foraging is from the mid to upper canopy, though it will drop lower along openings and stream margins.
