| Reddish hermit | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Phaethornis |
| Species: | P. ruber |
| Binomial name | |
| Phaethornis ruber | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Trochilus ruberLinnaeus, 1758 | |
Thereddish hermit (Phaethornis ruber) is a species ofbird in the familyTrochilidae, thehummingbirds. It is found inBolivia,Brazil,Colombia,Ecuador,Peru,Venezuela, and theGuianas.[3]
In 1743 the English naturalistGeorge Edwards included a picture and a description of the reddish hermit in hisA Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The little brown huming-bird". Edwards based his etching on a specimen owned by theDuke of Richmond that had been collected inSuriname.[4] When in 1758 the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus updated hisSystema Naturae for thetenth edition, he placed the reddish hermit with thehummingbirds in thegenusTrochilus. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined thebinomial nameTrochilus ruber, and cited Edwards' work.[5] The specific epithetruber is aLatin word meaning "red".[6] Thetype locality is Suriname.[7] The reddish hermit is now placed in thegenusPhaethornis that was introduced in 1827 byWilliam Swainson.[8][3] The reddish hermit has sometimes been consideredconspecific with thewhite-browed hermit (P. stuarti).[9]
Foursubspecies are recognised:[3]
Someintrogression has been noted between the nominateP. r. ruber andP. r. longipennis.P. r. episcopus andP. r. nigricinctus might actually be separate species but data to confirm the hypothesis are lacking. The population ofP. r. ruber in southeastern Brazil has been proposed as a separate subspeciesP. r. pygmaeus but its apparent differences are within the range of variation in the rest ofruber.[9]
The reddish hermit is 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) long and weighs 1.8 to 3 g (0.06 to 0.11 oz). All subspecies are generally dark green and rufous on the upperparts and cinnamon rufous on the underparts. Males have a black band on the chest and the tail feather have narrow white or reddish tips. Females have lighter underparts than the males.P. r. episcopus is about the same size as the nominate but has orange-rufous rather than cinnamon-rufous underparts and white tips to the tail.P. r. nigricinctus is the smallest subspecies; it has the richest rufous underparts.P. r. longipennis is the largest subspecies. It has a whitish chin and its central tail feathers have rufous tips.[9]
The subspecies of reddish hermit are distributed thus:[3][9]
The reddish hermit is assumed to be sedentary.[9]
The reddish hermit is a "trap-line" feeder like other hermit hummingbirds, visiting a circuit of many species of flowering plants for nectar. It also consumes smallarthropods.Nectar robbing by piercing the base of a flower has been regularly observed in southeastern Brazil.[9]
The reddish hermit's breeding seasons vary throughout its large range; in general in the north it is within May to October and in the south within October to February. The nest is a cone-shaped cup made of plant fibers, mosses, lichens, other plant material, and spider web. It is attached under a drooping leaf. The clutch size is two eggs and the female alone incubates them.[9]
| Songs and calls |
The reddish hermit's song is "a high-pitched phrase repeated incessantly with clear pauses between phrases...evenly-spaced, slightly descending, single notes followed by a number of accelerating descending notes, e.g. 'tsee....tsee...tsee...tsee.tse.tsitsi'." It frequently sings for long periods atleks. It has "long whining calls" made while hovering and a "stip!" flight call.[9]
TheIUCN has assessed the reddish hermit as being of Least Concern, though its population size is unknown and is believed to be decreasing.[1] It has a very large range, is considered "locally common to abundant", and occurs in several protected areas.[9]
