| Great-billed hermit | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Phaethornis |
| Species: | P. malaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Phaethornis malaris (Nordmann, 1835) | |
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The great-billed hermit (Phaethornis malaris) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. [3] [4]
The great-billed hermit's taxonomy is confusing. What are now the long-billed hermit (P. longirostris) and long-tailed hermit (P. superciliosus) were considered conspecific and included many subspecies that are now assigned to the great-billed hermit. A satisfactory taxonomic treatment of the entire P. longirostris/P. superciliosus/P. malaris group is still lacking according to some Neotropical ornithologists. [5] [6] [7]
These six subspecies of great-billed hermit are generally recognized: [3] [8] [9]
The subspecies P. m. margarettae is sometimes treated as a separate species, "Margaretta's hermit" (P. margarettae), and P. m. ochraceiventris has also been considered for species rank. At least two other populations within the existing subspecies have been suggested as additional subspecies. [5] [7]
The great-billed hermit is 13 to 17.5 cm (5.1 to 6.9 in) long. Males weigh 4.5 to 10 g (0.16 to 0.35 oz) and females 4 to 8 g (0.14 to 0.28 oz). The nominate subspecies is the largest. It 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. m. insolitus is smaller than the nominate but otherwise similar. P. m. moorei has paler, grayer, underparts than the nominate. P. m. bolivianus and P. m. margarettae are the smallest subspecies. The former has a dark brown throat and breast and an orange-ochre belly; P. m. margarettae is very similar to bolivianus but has paler underparts. P. m. ochraceiventris has a bright orange breast and belly. [7]
The subspecies of great-billed hermit are found thus: [3] [7]
The subspecies inhabit the understory of a variety of rainforest landscapes including terra firme , foothill, and higher elevation tropical forest; transitional forest; secondary forest; and bamboo thickets. P. m. ochraceiventris in addition is found in igapó forest. In most areas it is found below 600 m (2,000 ft) of elevation but occurs as high as 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in Colombia and 2,400 m (7,900 ft) in Bolivia. [7]
The great-billed hermit is a "trap-line" feeder like other hermit hummingbirds, visiting a circuit of a variety of flowering plants for nectar. Examples include Heliconia and Pitcairnia . It also consumes small arthropods. [7]
The great-billed hermit's breeding seasons vary across its range, for instance at least August to December in French Guiana, June to September in Bolivia, and June to November in Peru. Like most hermits, it builds a cone-shaped nest of plant fibers and spider silk suspended from the underside of a drooping leaf. The clutch size is two eggs. [7]
The great-billed hermit's song is generally "a continuous series of single, bisyllablic rising, falling 'slee-up' notes" that differs somewhat among the subspecies. It also makes "a sharp 'skweep!'" call, usually in flight. [7]
The IUCN has assessed the great-billed hermit as being of Least Concern, though its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. [1] However, "[subspecies] margarettae, limited to forest remnants in [eastern] Brazil, could be threatened by further habitat destruction." [7]
The sooty-capped hermit is a species of bird in the family Trochilidae, the hummingbirds. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The hermits are tropical and subtropical hummingbirds in the subfamily Phaethornithinae, comprising 37 species in six genera. They occur from southern Mexico, through Central America, to South America as far south as northern Argentina.
Phaethornis is a genus of hummingbirds in the hermit subfamily, Phaethornithinae. They occur from southern Mexico, through Central America, to South America as far south as northern Argentina.
The long-billed hermit is a bird in the family Trochilidae, the hummingbirds. It is found from central Mexico south through Central America, Colombia and Ecuador into Peru.
The long-tailed hermit is a large hummingbird that is a resident breeder in Venezuela, the Guianas, and north-eastern Brazil. This species was formerly referred to as the eastern long-tailed hermit.
The pale-bellied hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela.
The black-throated hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The straight-billed hermit is a species of bird in the family Trochilidae, the hummingbirds. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The scale-throated hermit is a species in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
The grey-chinned hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The white-bearded hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The cinnamon-throated hermit is a species in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia and Brazil.
The needle-billed hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru.
The reddish hermit is a species of bird in the family Trochilidae, the hummingbirds. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and the Guianas.
The streak-throated hermit, also known as the Rupurumi hermit, is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela.
The white-browed hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in the Andean foothills and adjacent lowlands in Bolivia and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.
The buff-bellied hermit is a species of bird in the family Trochilidae, the hummingbirds. It is found in Bolivia and Brazil.
The planalto hermit is a species of hummingbird. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru.
The rufous-rumped foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname.
The moustached wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru.
