Long-billed Hermit

Long-billed Hermit
Long-billed Hermit
Photographed in Drake Bay, Costa Rica
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Phaethornis
Species: P. longirostris
Binomial name
Phaethornis longirostris
(Delattre, 1843)

The Long-billed Hermit (Phaethornis longirostris) is a large hummingbird that is a resident breeder from central Mexico south to northwestern Colombia, extreme western Venezuela and western Ecuador. This species is currently (2006) known as the Western Long-tailed Hermit, but it is likely, following recommendations from Gary Stiles in February 2006, [1] that the new name will be officially adopted by most authorities.

The taxonomy of this group is complicated, with similar hermit populations from both sides of the Andes being originally named as one species, the Long-tailed Hermit, P. superciliosus. The latter name in now reserved for the species east of the cordillera.

P. l baroni (Baron's Hermit)

A further problem is the potential separation of the paler, greyer, and slightly smaller southern subspecies P. l. baroni as Baron’s Hermit, P. baroni, although the opposition of Stiles makes that split unlikely to be formally accepted unless confirmed by further research[2].

The Long-billed Hermit inhabits forest undergrowth, usually near water and its preferred food plants. It is 15 cm long and weighs 6 g. The bill is very long and decurved (3.4-3.7 cm), with a red upper and black lower mandible, and the central feathers of the tapered tail are long (6.3-6.8 cm) and white-tipped.

The adult Long-billed Hermit is mainly dark green above with a blue-green rump. It has a dark mask through the eye, with buff stripes above and below this, and a brown face. The underparts are grey to buff in colour. The sexes are similar, although the female is slightly smaller, but young birds have buff fringes to the feathers of the upperparts and head.

P. l. mexicanus (Mexican Hermit)

During the breeding season, male Long-billed Hermits sing in communal leks of up to 25 birds, and also wiggle their long tails in display. Competitive lek singing can occupy half of the daylight hours, the purpose of course being to attract females. The female selects the best lek singer to mate with. The song consists of high pitched squeaky of chink churr and shree sounds. The flight call is a high sweep.

The female Long-billed Hermit is solely responsible for nest construction, incubation and feeding the young. She lays two white eggs in a conical nest of fibres and cobwebs suspended under a large Heliconia or banana leaf 1.2 to 1.5 m above the ground. The incubation period is 14–19 days, with another 18 to 28 days to fledging.

The food of this species is nectar, taken from large flowers, such as Heliconias and passion flowers, and small insects and spiders taken as an essential source of protein. Hatchlings are fed by the female with regurgitated invertebrates.

Long-billed Hermits are trap-line feeders; they do not defend territory, but visit seasonal flowers on routes through the forest up to 1 km long. They pollinate some flowers such as Aphelandra which have long flowers adapted to the hummingbirds long curved bill.

References

  • BirdLife International (2004). Phaethornis longirostris. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 05 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
  • Hilty, Birds of Venezuela, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
  • Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-4

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Long-tailed Hermit — Taxobox name = Long tailed Hermit status = LC | status system = IUCN3.1 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Apodiformes familia = Trochilidae genus = Phaethornis species = P. superciliosus binomial = Phaethornis… …   Wikipedia

  • Long-billed — may refer to:* Long billed Black Cockatoo, cockatoo endemic to south western Australia * Long billed Corella, cockatoo native to Australia * Long billed Curlew, very large shorebird * Long billed Dowitcher, medium sized shorebird * Long billed… …   Wikipedia

  • Saw-billed Hermit — Taxobox name = Saw billed Hermit status = NT | status system = IUCN3.1 image width = 250px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Trochiliformes familia = Trochilidae subfamilia = Phaethornithinae genus = Ramphodon genus… …   Wikipedia

  • Great-billed Hermit — Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) Scientific classification Ki …   Wikipedia

  • great-billed hermit — didžiasnapis saulėtasis kolibris statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Phaethornis malaris angl. great billed hermit vok. Dunkler Schattenkolibri, m rus. длинноклювый солнечный колибри, m pranc. ermite à long bec, m ryšiai:… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Hermit (hummingbird) — Taxobox name = Hermit image width = 250px image caption = The Saw billed Hermit ( Ramphodon naevius ) is among the most primitive living hummingbird species. regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Apodiformes familia =… …   Wikipedia

  • ermite à long bec — didžiasnapis saulėtasis kolibris statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Phaethornis malaris angl. great billed hermit vok. Dunkler Schattenkolibri, m rus. длинноклювый солнечный колибри, m pranc. ermite à long bec, m ryšiai:… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Black-billed Sicklebill — Conservation status …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Costa Rica — Although Costa Rica is a small country, it is in the bird rich neotropical region and has a huge number of species for its area. 893 bird species have been recorded in the country (including Cocos Island), more than in all of the United States… …   Wikipedia

  • Fauna of Colombia — The Fauna of Colombia is characterized by a high biodiversity, with the highest rate of species by area unit worldwide [ [http://www.telepolis.com/cgi bin/web/DISTRITODOCVIEW?url=/1604/doc/Parquesnaturales/paisajes.htm en Colombia Paisajes… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”