Threnetes leucurus
The Pale-tailed Barbthroat (Threnetes leucurus) is a strikingly marked, medium-sized hummingbird, typically measuring 10-12 cm in length and weighing 4-6 grams. Its plumage is generally dark olive-green to bronzy, contrasting sharply with its most distinctive field mark: broad, white outer tail feathers tipped with black, which are frequently fanned in flight or display. A dark chin and throat, often appearing dusky, and rufous-buff undertail coverts further aid identification. This species b...
This species primarily inhabits the dense understory of humid lowland evergreen forests, forest edges, secondary growth, and gallery forests, typically found below 1000 meters in elevation.
Their primary diet consists of nectar, extracted from a variety of long-tubed flowers via their trap-lining circuits, supplemented with small arthropods (spiders and insects) gleaned from foliage or caught in flight.
Pale-tailed Barbthroats are largely solitary and diurnal, often active during crepuscular hours. They employ a 'trap-lining' foraging strategy, flying regular circuits between dispersed flowering plants to collect nectar, which they defend from rivals. Males are well-known for their lekking behav...
The Pale-tailed Barbthroat is widely distributed across the humid lowland forests of northern South America, primarily within the Amazon Basin and Guianan Shield. Its extensive breeding range spans eastern Venezuela, the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana), and a significant portion of Amaz...
Least Concern
- The 'barbthroat' in its name refers to the distinctive stiff, whisker-like rictal bristles on either side of its bill, thought to help guide insects into its mouth. - It is one of the few hummingbird species in the world that exhibits lekking behavior, where males gather at communal display sit...