Long-billed Hermit
A species of Typical hermits Scientific name : Phaethornis longirostris Genus : Typical hermits
Long-billed Hermit, A species of Typical hermits
Botanical name: Phaethornis longirostris
Genus: Typical hermits
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Francesco Veronesi , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Description
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 was formerly known as the western long-tailed hermit or just long-tailed hermit, but was renamed to highlight its unusual bill. 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.
Size
16 cm
Colors
Brown
Black
Green
Yellow
Gray
White
Blue
Life Expectancy
12 years
Feeding Habits
Long-billed Hermit primarily feed on nectar, utilizing its specialized long bill for access. It occasionally consumes small arthropods, supplementing its diet. With a swift, hovering flight, long-billed Hermit seeks food from flowers, displaying a preference for certain plant species.
Habitat
Long-billed Hermit predominantly inhabits the understorey of rainforests, including tall secondary growth and more humid regions of semi-deciduous, pine-oak, and cloud forests. This species is also found along forest edges, in gallery forests, and within plantations. Geographically, long-billed Hermit occupies broad territories ranging from lowland rainforests to montane regions, with altitude records varying from sea level up to 2500 meters in northern South America and 1700 meters in western Ecuador.
Dite type
Nectivorous
General Info
Behavior
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 black upper and pale orange lower mandible, and the central feathers of the tapered tail are long (6.3–6.8 cm) and white-tipped. 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 to attract females. The female selects the best lek singer to mate. The song consists of high pitched squeaky of chink churr and shree sounds. The flight call is a high sweep. Upon maturity, males appear to be evolving a dagger-like weapon on the beak tip as a secondary sexual trait to defend mating areas. 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.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Photo By Francesco Veronesi , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Swifts and hummingbirds Family
Hummingbirds Genus
Typical hermits Species
Long-billed Hermit