Cinnamon-throated Hermit
Phaethornis nattereri
Tiny hummingbird with a curved bill. Easily confused with other hermits, but note the cinnamon tinge to the underparts and the white-tipped central tail feathers. The Maranhao Hermit subspecies, considered by some authorities as a separate species, is a richer cinnamon color. Inhabits the interior of dry forest zones, including gallery forest, second growth, savanna, and caatinga woodland.
Identification
The cinnamon-throated hermit is about 10 cm (3.9 in) long and weighs 2.3 to 3 g (0.08 to 0.11 oz). Males have brownish upperparts, green wings, and tawny underparts. Their inner pair of tail feathers are long and white tipped. Both sexes have a black "mask" with a pale supercilium and malar stripe. Females are similar to the male but with a paler throat and longer central tail feathers.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the cinnamon-throated hermit is unsettled. Birds called Maranhao hermit are sometimes treated as a subspecies of the cinnamon-throated hermit, but at present major taxonomic systems follow the analyses by Hinkelmann that determined it is the male plumage of P. nattereri. However, the "Maranhao" hermit only occurs in the separate northern part of the range of P. nattereri, and as it appears to have different vocalizations from those of the other population it might warrant recognition as a distinct species, P. maranhaoensis. Molecular studies are needed to confirm or deny that assignment. As currently understood, the cinnamon-throated hermit is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Phaethornis nattereri
- Authority
- Berlepsch, 1887
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Phaethornis
Range and habitat
The cinnamon-throated hermit is known from two separate areas. One includes eastern Bolivia and the adjacent Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Rondônia. The other is in northeastern Brazil, mostly in the states of Maranhão, Piauí, and Ceará, and in Pará and Tocantins as well. It is speculated to also inhabit the broad region between the two known areas. The proposed "Maranhao" hermit is found in the northeastern area. The species inhabits several non-rainforest landscapes including semi-deciduous, secondary, and gallery forests, cerrado, and caatinga. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 500 m (1,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The cinnamon-throated hermit is believed to be sedentary.<p>The cinnamon-throated hermit is a "trap-line" feeder like other hermit hummingbirds, visiting a circuit of flowering plants for nectar. It also consumes small arthropods.<p>Little is known about the cinnamon-throated hermit's breeding phenology. Its nest is reported to be suspended below a drooping leaf. The ""Maranhao" hermit breeds between November and April.<p>The cinnamon-throated hermit's song is "a high-pitched phrase repeated incessantly without pauses between phrases...e.g. 'tsee ... tsee ... tsee ... nya-ka-wee'."
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sri Lanka Gray Hornbill
Ocyceros gingalensis
Small hornbill with gray upperside and whitish underparts. Bill has no casque, and is pale in males, dark in females. In flight displays white outer tail and wingtips. Found in pairs and groups in forest and woodland, preferring drier areas. The only other hornbill in range, the larger Malabar Pied Hornbill, is black-and-white, and has a large casque on its bill. Song is an accelerating “kok-kok-kok” ending in a cackle; call a harsh “waa”.
Blyth's Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus dumetorum
Field identification challenging. Pay attention to short wings (short primary projection), gray-brown tones to upperparts and long, dark-tipped bill with a flat forehead. Song is varied with many repetitions and lots of mimicry; call is a high-pitched and loud "tek." Found in forest edges, bushes, marsh edges, and parks, but not particularly associated with water. Usually sings from bushes and trees, not in reeds or herbage.
Cinnamon-bellied Saltator
Saltator grandis
Fairly common, but often retiring, in tropical lowlands of both drier and more humid areas. Favors forest edge, second growth thickets, hedges, and tangles, especially with morning glory flowers, which it munches quietly. Told from other saltators in Mexico and Central America by the grayish (not golden-green) upperparts, bolder white eyebrow, and plain breast. Immature looks slightly different, with a yellowish wash to the face and upperparts. Listen for sweet song with long slurred whistles.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.