Rufous-breasted hermit

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Rufous-breasted hermit
Rufous-breasted hermit ( Glaucis hirsutus insularum).jpg
G. h. insularum, Tobago
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Glaucis
Species:
G. hirsutus
Binomial name
Glaucis hirsutus
(Gmelin, JF, 1788)
Glaucis hirsutus map.svg
Synonyms

Glaucis hirsuta(Gmelin, 1788: lapsus )
Glaucis hirsutus abrawayaeRuschi, 1973
Threnetes grzimekiRuschi, 1973

Contents

The rufous-breasted hermit or hairy hermit (Glaucis hirsutus) is a hummingbird that breeds from Panama south to Bolivia, and on Trinidad, Tobago and Grenada. It is a widespread and generally common species, though local populations may change in numbers and disappear altogether in marginal habitat. [3]

Taxonomy

The rufous-breasted hermit was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae . He placed it with all the other hummingbirds in the genus Trochilus and coined the binomial name Trochilus hirsutus. [4] Gmelin's description was based on that of the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave in his Historia Naturalis Brasiliae that had been published 140 years earlier in 1648. [5] The rufous-breasted hermit is now placed with two other species in the genus Glaucis that was introduced in 1831 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie. [6] [7] The genus name is from the Ancient Greek glaukos meaning "blue-grey", "glaucous" or "pale green". The specific epithet hirsutus is Latin meaning "hairy" or "bristled". [8] The type locality is northeast Brazil. [9]

Two subspecies are recognised: [7]

Description

The rufous-breasted hermit is 10.7 cm (4.2 in) long and weighs 7 g (0.25 oz) on average. The bill measures around 3.3 cm (1.3 in) and is strongly decurved, long and thin – though compared to the bills of other hummingbirds, it is rather robust. The rufous-breasted hermit has a brownish head, bronze-green upperparts and rufous underparts. The tail has green central feathers and rufous outer feathers, all tipped white. The bill has a yellow lower mandible and a black upper mandible. Sexes are similar, but the male has yellow streaking on the upper mandible, and the female may be slightly duller in plumage. The bill of females is also proportionally a bit shorter (though this is hardly recognizable) and more decurved (which is quite conspicuous in direct comparison). [10]

Males are somewhat more distinct, resembling a barbthroat (Threnetes). They were once described as a distinct species, the "black barbthroat" ("T. grzimeki"). Similarly, the proposed subspecies abrawayae is apparently based on individual variation occurring in adults and not taxonomically distinct either. [11]

The call of this species is a high-pitched sweet.

Behavior and ecology

This hermit inhabits forest undergrowth, often near running water. The rufous-breasted hermit's food is nectar, taken from a variety of understory flowers, and some small invertebrates.

Food and feeding

G. hirsuta has very discriminating feeding habits. It will only visit flowers whose corolla length and curvature precisely matches that of its bill, while most other hummingbirds are far more flexible. Thus, its foodplants are found across almost the entire diversity of angiosperms. Very popular with this bird are Zingiberales, such as Costus scaber (Costaceae), or Heliconia standleyi and Heliconia stricta (Heliconiaceae). Other well-liked foodplants of this hummingbird include Gentianales like Duroia hirsuta , Palicourea lasiantha , Psychotria bahiensis and Psychotria platypoda (Rubiaceae), Lamiales such as Sanchezia peruviana (Acanthaceae) or Drymonia semicordata (Gesneriaceae), and Myrtales like Cuphea melvilla (Lythraceae). Even congeneric plants with flowers of slightly different length and curvature are avoided on the other hand. [10]

Given the difference in bill curvature between males and females, it seems likely that the sexes avoid competing for the same food resource by visiting different plants, but there has been little in-depth study. Whether there has been any coevolution between the hairy hermit and its foodplants is more difficult to determine, but if anything, it seems to be less widespread than it could be presumed. Most plants visited by this hummingbird are also pollinated by less discriminating species. But for some (such as Cuphea melvilla, Psychotria bahiensis and P. platypoda) the hairy hermit seems to be a pollinator of crucial importance, indicating that – though less often than the characteristic bill shape suggests – strong mutualisms between this bird and some of its foodplants do indeed exist. [10]

Breeding

The female rufous-breasted hermit lays two eggs in a small cup nest with a tail, made of rootlets and attached to the underside of a palm, fern or Heliconia leaf one or two meters (3–6 ft) above ground or so. The nests are often near a stream, waterfall or roadside, and are surprisingly easy to find. Incubation is 17 days with 23 more to fledging, and this species may nest up to four times in a season. The male of this aggressive and inquisitive hummingbird helps to build and defend the nest, but does not incubate the eggs. At least regionally (e.g. in Colombia), the species breeds all year. [12]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Heliconia</i> Genus of plants

Heliconia, derived from the Greek word Ἑλικώνιος, is a genus of flowering plants in the monotypic family Heliconiaceae. Most of the ca 194 known species are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western Pacific and Maluku. Many species of Heliconia are found in the tropical forests of these regions. Most species are listed as either vulnerable or data deficient by the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Several species are widely cultivated as ornamentals, and a few are naturalized in Florida, Gambia, and Thailand. Common names for the genus include lobster-claws, toucan beak, wild plantain, or false bird-of-paradise. The last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers (Strelitzia). Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as "heliconias".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green hermit</span> Species of bird

The green hermit is a large hummingbird that is a resident breeder from southern Central America south to northern South America

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little hermit</span> Species of bird

The little hermit is a hummingbird that is a resident breeder in north-eastern Venezuela, northern Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Trinidad. This lowland species occurs in various semi-open wooded habitats, e.g. mangrove, secondary forest, plantations and scrub. In Trinidad it also occurs in rainforest. It is fairly common in most of its range, and therefore listed as Least Concern by BirdLife International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-throated mango</span> Species of bird

The black-throated mango is a hummingbird species native to South America and Trinidad and Tobago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copper-rumped hummingbird</span>

The copper-rumped hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Tobago, Trinidad, Venezuela, and possibly Grenada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The green kingfisher is a resident breeding bird which occurs from southern Texas in the United States south through Central and South America to central Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ani (bird)</span> Genus of birds

The anis are the three species of birds in the genus Crotophaga of the cuckoo family. They are essentially tropical New World birds, although the range of two species just reaches the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermit (hummingbird)</span> Subfamily of birds

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.

<i>Phaethornis</i> Genus of birds

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed hermit</span> Species of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronzy hermit</span> Species of hummingbird

The bronzy hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swallow-tailed hummingbird</span> Species of bird

The swallow-tailed hummingbird is a species in the hummingbird family (Trochilidae), found mainly in east-central South America. Most authorities place it in the genus Eupetomena, although some place it in Campylopterus based on song and the thick shafts of the males' first primaries. Its common name and specific epithet both refer to the long, deeply forked, somewhat swallow-like tail.

<i>Glaucis</i> Genus of birds

Glaucis is a genus of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hook-billed hermit</span> Species of hummingbird

The hook-billed hermit is an threatened species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is endemic to a small area of Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koepcke's hermit</span> Species of hummingbird

Koepcke's hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is endemic to Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbthroat</span> Genus of birds

The barbthroats are a genus Threnetes of South American hummingbirds in the family Trochilidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sooty barbthroat</span> Species of hummingbird

The sooty barbthroat is a hummingbird species in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Brazil and French Guiana.

<i>Psychotria poeppigiana</i>

Psychotria poeppigiana is a plant species in the family Rubiaceae; a common name is sore-mouth bush, though it is not very often used. This species is currently accepted as Palicourea tomentosa based on a journal article published in 2011.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2016). "Glaucis hirsutus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22686911A93130811. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22686911A93130811.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ↑ Faria et al. (2006), BLI (2008)
  4. ↑ Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1788). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 1 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 490.
  5. ↑ Marcgrave, Georg (1648). Historia Naturalis Brasiliae: Liber Quintus: Qui agit de Avibus (in Latin). Lugdun and Batavorum (London and Leiden): Franciscum Hackium and Elzevirium. p. 197, 4th Guainumbi.
  6. ↑ Boie, Friedrich (1831). "Bemerkungen über Species und einige ornithologische Familien und Sippen". Isis von Oken (in German). Cols 538–548 [545].
  7. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2022). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 12.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  8. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  174, 192. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  9. ↑ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 5.
  10. 1 2 3 Rodríguez-Flores & Stiles (2005)
  11. ↑ Mallet-Rodrigues (2006)
  12. ↑ Greeney et al. (2004)

Sources

Further reading

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