- Phaethornis longuemareus
Identification
Little Hermit is just 4 inches long, but has a shape similar to Green Hermit. Upperparts are green (or bronzed) with rufous rump, head is dark with a buffy streak behind the eye, and the underparts are rufous. The tail is wedge-shaped with central feathers that are elongated and tipped white, while the bill has a black upper mandible and a yellow lower mandible with a black tip, somewhat down-curved.
Distribution
Found in the northern South America in Trinidad, Venezuela, and The Guianas.
Taxonomy
The Little Hermit formerly included the Stripe-throated Hermit, Minute Hermit, Tapajos Hermit and Black-throated Hermit as subspecies.
Habitat
Forests especially undergrowth but sometimes also edges.
Behaviour
Mainly feeds below 5 feet above ground; sometimes one has to bend down and look under a bush to see this bird feeding. Mainly takes nectar, but sometimes supplements with invertebrates.
References
- Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
- SACC baseline read November 2009
- Birdforum thread discussing the taxonomy of Phaethornis aethopyga
- Paper resurrecting the taxon aethopyga and proposing full species status
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Little Hermit. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Little_Hermit
External Links
Beware that search results may include species now split off (see taxonomy).