Phaethornis bourcieri
The Straight-billed Hermit (Phaethornis bourcieri) is a medium-sized hummingbird, measuring about 12-14 cm in length and weighing 4-6 grams. It is readily identified by its uniquely straight, rather than decurved, bill which is typically 33-38 mm long, a distinguishing feature among its hermit relatives. Its plumage features dark bronzy-green upperparts, a rufous rump, and buffy-grey underparts. Distinctive facial markings include a prominent white superciliary stripe, a dark eye-stripe, and ...
This hermit primarily inhabits the understory of humid evergreen and submontane rainforests, often frequenting forest borders and areas near streams. It is typically found at elevations ranging from 200 to 2000 meters, occasionally reaching up to 2600 meters.
Its primary diet consists of nectar, predominantly from specialized flowers like *Heliconia*, *Costus*, *Palicourea*, *Psychotria*, and *Ruellia*. It supplements this with small arthropods, which are gleaned from foliage or caught in mid-air.
Straight-billed Hermits are diurnal, exhibiting peak activity during the early morning and late afternoon. They employ a 'trap-lining' foraging strategy, systematically visiting a circuit of dispersed flowering plants along a well-established route throughout the day. Males are polygynous and gat...
The Straight-billed Hermit is a resident species distributed across northern South America. Its range extends through the humid evergreen forests of eastern Colombia, southern Venezuela, eastern Ecuador, and eastern Peru, reaching into northern Bolivia and the northern Amazonian lowlands of Brazi...
Least Concern
- Unlike most other hermit hummingbirds, the Straight-billed Hermit has a remarkably straight bill, which is a key identification feature. - Males engage in communal courtship displays at leks, where they sing persistently to attract females. - Females build their tiny, conical nests suspended be...