Reddish Hermit
Phaethornis ruber
Tiny and charismatic hermit hummingbird. Note a very contrasting black mask. Dark-olive above and cinnamon below and on the rump. Males have an incomplete black breast band and a shorter tail and wings than females. Common in the lower strata of forests and forest edges where it is fond of Heliconia flowers.
Identification
The reddish hermit is 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) long and weighs 1.8 to 3 g (0.06 to 0.11 oz). All subspecies are generally dark green and rufous on the upperparts and cinnamon rufous on the underparts. Males have a black band on the chest and the tail feather have narrow white or reddish tips. Females have lighter underparts than the males. P. r. episcopus is about the same size as the nominate but has orange-rufous rather than cinnamon-rufous underparts and white tips to the tail. P. r. nigricinctus is the smallest subspecies; it has the richest rufous underparts. P. r. longipennis is the largest subspecies. It has a whitish chin and its central tail feathers have rufous tips.
Taxonomy
In 1743 the English naturalist George Edwards included a picture and a description of the reddish hermit in his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The little brown huming-bird". Edwards based his etching on a specimen owned by the Duke of Richmond that had been collected in Suriname. When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the reddish hermit with the hummingbirds in the genus Trochilus. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Trochilus ruber, and cited Edwards' work. The specific epithet ruber is a Latin word meaning "red". The type locality is Suriname. The reddish hermit is now placed in the genus Phaethornis that was introduced in 1827 by William Swainson. The reddish hermit has sometimes been considered conspecific with the white-browed hermit (P. stuarti).<p>Four subspecies are recognised:<p>Some introgression has been noted between the nominate P. r. ruber and P. r. longipennis. P. r. episcopus and P. r. nigricinctus might actually be separate species but data to confirm the hypothesis are lacking. The population of P. r. ruber in southeastern Brazil has been proposed as a separate subspecies P. r. pygmaeus but its apparent differences are within the range of variation in the rest of ruber.
- Scientific name
- Phaethornis ruber
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Phaethornis
Range and habitat
The subspecies of reddish hermit are distributed thus:<p>
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The reddish hermit is assumed to be sedentary.<p>The reddish hermit is a "trap-line" feeder like other hermit hummingbirds, visiting a circuit of many species of flowering plants for nectar. It also consumes small arthropods. Nectar robbing by piercing the base of a flower has been regularly observed in southeastern Brazil.<p>The reddish hermit's breeding seasons vary throughout its large range; in general in the north it is within May to October and in the south within October to February. The nest is a cone-shaped cup made of plant fibers, mosses, lichens, other plant material, and spider web. It is attached under a drooping leaf. The clutch size is two eggs and the female alone incubates them.<p>The reddish hermit's song is "a high-pitched phrase repeated incessantly with clear pauses between phrases...evenly-spaced, slightly descending, single notes followed by a number of accelerating descending notes, e.g. 'tsee....tsee...tsee...tsee.tse.tsitsi'." It frequently sings for long periods at leks. It has "long whining calls" made while hovering and a "stip!" flight call.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Thinornis dubius
Delicately built small plover with bright yellow eyerings. Note dull pinkish legs and large white forehead patch (in adults). Plumage much like bulkier Ringed Plover, but white eyebrow continues unbroken across forehead. In flight shows narrow, indistinct whitish wing stripe. Breeds on stony substrates around lakes, gravel pits, and along rivers; migrants occur in wide variety of fresh and brackish wetland habitats, but rarely out on open tidal areas. Clipped “peu” call quite distinct from call of similar Common Ringed Plover.
Green Junglefowl
Gallus varius
Fancy-looking “chicken” endemic to Java and the Lesser Sundas, from Bali east to Alor. Also introduced to the Cocos Islands. Dark, iridescent male is distinctive, with dark-centered orange and yellow feathers on the back and wings. Also note his bright blue-and pink comb and large red wattle. Female is dull brown with dark spotting, and also has a blackish tail and pale pinkish face; compare with female Red Junglefowl, which is warmer-colored overall, with more orangeish tones. Inhabits open forests, forest edges, and scrub from lowlands into foothills. Scratches about on the ground singly, or in small groups. Gives an incredibly hoarse crow: “krewwarewwah!”
Gold-whiskered Barbet
Psilopogon chrysopogon
Bright yellow cheek stands out like a sunburst on the muddy-looking face of this barbet. Traces of red and blue also brighten the head of this heavy-billed green bird. Inhabits lowland and foothill forests. Like many other barbets, forages sluggishly high up in the forest canopy, and can be difficult to see; listen instead for its song, a series of echoing rhythmic “woo-ooh” notes, sometimes combined with trilled hoots.
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