Phaethornis koepckeae
The Koepcke's Hermit (Phaethornis koepckeae) is a medium-sized hummingbird, typically measuring about 14-15 cm in length, including its characteristically long, decurved bill. Its plumage is generally dull olive-green dorsally, with a slightly darker crown and iridescent bronzy rump. Ventrally, it exhibits a warm ochraceous to buffy coloration, extending from the throat to the undertail coverts. Distinctive facial markings include a dark mask bordered by a prominent pale supercilium and a cle...
Resident in humid evergreen submontane and lower montane forests, including cloud forest edges and bamboo thickets, typically found at elevations between 600 and 1600 meters.
Primarily nectivorous, feeding on nectar from a variety of understory flowers, especially those with long corollas like Heliconias. It also gleans small arthropods, such as spiders and insects, from foliage and spider webs for protein.
Koepcke's Hermit engages in a classic 'trap-lining' foraging strategy, systematically visiting a circuit of widely dispersed flowers for nectar throughout the day. Males are known for their territoriality, often establishing traditional singing perches from which they deliver their simple, repeti...
Koepcke's Hermit is strictly endemic to a relatively small, fragmented region of southeastern Peru, residing along the eastern slopes of the Andes. Its primary distribution lies within the departments of Cusco and Madre de Dios. Key locations include areas within and surrounding Manu National Par...
Near Threatened
- Koepcke's Hermit was only scientifically discovered in 1962 by Maria Koepcke, a pioneering German ornithologist working in Peru, making it a relatively recent addition to ornithological knowledge. - It is one of the few bird species named after a female ornithologist, honoring Maria Koepcke for...