Brown Inca

In Ecuador, the Brown Inca inhabits the Pacific slope of the Andes from the Colombian border south to Loja Province, favoring cloudforest edges and interior understory between 700 and 2,400 meters, though it is most common below 1,300 meters. It is a year-round resident and considered fairly common within its range, despite modest declines in forest cover; the IUCN currently lists it as Least Concern. This species forages by trap-lining a circuit of nectar-rich flowers, often low in the forest, and supplements its diet with small arthropods gleaned from foliage. Breeding occurs from January to June, with mossy cup nests built in tree forks and a quiet, three-note song echoing through its misty habitat.