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
- Apodiformes
- 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
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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