The long-billed hermit (Phaethornis longirostris ) is a bird in the family Trochilidae, the hummingbirds. It is found from central Mexico south through Central America, Colombia and Ecuador into Peru.
In zoology, a nectarivore is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe long-billed hermit is 13 to 16 cm (5.1 to 6.3 in) long. Males weigh 5 to 7.5 g (0.18 to 0.26 oz) and females 4 to 6.5 g (0.14 to 0.23 oz). The nominate subspecies P. l. longirostris 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. l. cephalus is similar but its underparts become more ochraceous towards the southern part of its range. P. l. susurrus is larger than cephalus but similarly colored. P. l. baroni 's upperparts are dull metallic green and its belly is whiter than those of the other subspecies.
The subspecies of long-billed hermit are found thus:
The species inhabits the understory and edges of a variety of landscapes including rainforest, tall secondary forest, humid semi-deciduous forest, cloudforest, and gallery forest. It has been recorded from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in Costa Rica, to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in eastern Mexico, to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in northern Colombia, to 400 m (1,300 ft) in Peru, and to at least 1,300 m (4,300 ft) and possibly to 1,700 m (5,600 ft) in Ecuador.
The long-billed hermit is not known to make large-scale movements but is thought to wander short distances.
The long-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, Costus, Aphelandra, and Pasiflora. It also consumes small arthropods.
The long-billed hermit's breeding seasons vary considerably throughout its range, from April to July in Mexico, May to September in Panama, and January to April or May in Colombia. The nest is a cone-shaped cup made of plant fibers and spider silk suspended from the underside of a drooping leaf. The clutch size is two eggs; The incubation period is 17 to 18 days with fledging 22 to 23 days after hatch.
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. In addition, mature males have a longer bill than females, and appear to use its dagger-like tip as a secondary sexual trait to defend against other males at the lek.
The IUCN follows HBW taxonomy, and so has separately assessed the long-billed hermit and "Ecuadorian hermit" as being of Least Concern. The population sizes and trends of both are unknown. P. l. susurrus has a small range that potentially places it at risk. P. l. cephalus occurs in many protected areas in Costa Rica. P. l. baroni is considered fairly common throughout its range and occurs in some protected areas.
