Long-billed Hermit
Phaethornis longirostris
Spectacular large hummingbird of humid tropical lowlands. Favors shady forest understory and edges, especially with patches of Heliconia flowers. Males sit and sing tirelessly from perches in the understory while pumping their tail. When feeding, hovers briefly with long white tail streamers held nearly vertical and shoots off with an explosive squeak. Note the striped face, very long, arched bill, and rather drab plumage. Unlike many hummingbirds, hermits do not defend a patch of flowers but zip between widely scattered flowers, a strategy known as traplining (like it is checking widely scattered nectar traps).
Identification
The long-billed hermit is 13 to 16 cm (5.1 to 6.3 in) long. Males weigh 5 to 7.5 g (0.18 to 0.26 oz) and females 4 to 6.5 g (0.14 to 0.23 oz). The nominate subspecies P. l. longirostris has greenish-brown upperparts and brownish to grayish underparts. Its uppertail coverts have dark and light ochre bands and the central tail feathers are long with long white tips. It has a long decurved bill, with the female's being shorter but more curved than the male's. P. l. cephalus is similar but its underparts become more ochraceous towards the southern part of its range. P. l. susurrus is larger than cephalus but similarly colored. P. l. baroni's upperparts are dull metallic green and its belly is whiter than those of the other subspecies.
Taxonomy
It has often been considered conspecific with what is now the long-tailed hermit, P. superciliosus, which is found east of the Andes. The two populations were called the western and eastern long-tailed hermits; the "eastern" was dropped after the split into two species and the renaming of the western population.<p>The South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and the Clements taxonomy assign these four subspecies to the long-billed hermit:<p>However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) treats P. l. baroni as a separate species, "Ecuadorian hermit". The SACC in 2006 had rejected that treatment. Other subspecies within longirostrus and cephalus have been proposed but have not been accepted.
- Scientific name
- Phaethornis longirostris
- Authority
- (Delattre, 1843)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Phaethornis
Range and habitat
The subspecies of long-billed hermit are found thus:<p>The species inhabits the understory and edges of a variety of landscapes including rainforest, tall secondary forest, humid semi-deciduous forest, cloudforest, and gallery forest. It has been recorded from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in Costa Rica, to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in eastern Mexico, to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in northern Colombia, to 400 m (1,300 ft) in Peru, and to at least 1,300 m (4,300 ft) and possibly to 1,700 m (5,600 ft) in Ecuador.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Pygmy Falcon
Polihierax semitorquatus
Tiny gray-and-white falcon that is similar in size to a shrike, though chunkier. The back is brown in females and gray in males. The white rump is conspicuous in fast, slightly undulating flight, which is very different from that of a typical falcon. Found in arid savanna, where it breeds in the nest of a Sociable Weaver or buffalo-weaver. Often perches up in the open, usually in pairs or small family groups. The call is a fast series of rasps or squeals.
Stierling's Wren-Warbler
Calamonastes stierlingi
Long-tailed brownish warbler. White below with clean dark barring. Found in broadleaf woodland: miombo, mopane, and Zambezi teak. Usually found in pairs or small groups. Often raises its tail in wren-like fashion. The song consists of three metallic notes, often repeated, reminiscent of a telephone ringtone. Similar to Barred Wren-Warbler, but found in different habitat, and the dark barring on the underparts contrasts more strongly with the white base color.
Rufous-backed Honeyeater
Ptiloprora guisei
A common, medium-sized honeyeater of montane forest in eastern New Guinea. Gray head and underparts, diffuse rufous-brown back and flanks, with whole body boldly patterned with dark streaks. Long curved bill, pale gray eye and a distinctive pale gray stripe running back from above the eye. Forages out in the open and readily observed. Similar to Gray-streaked but Rufous-backed usually occurs at lower elevation and has a rufous rather than gray back. Common call, a falling then rising “piuuwiiii!”.
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