Phaethornis striigularis
The Stripe-throated Hermit (Phaethornis striigularis) is a diminutive and often elusive hummingbird, recognized by its delicate size, measuring approximately 8-9 cm (3.1-3.5 in) in length and weighing a mere 2.2-3.2 grams. Its plumage features a dark greenish back, a rufous rump, and a pale grayish-buff underside, with the defining field mark being a distinctive buffy supercilium and malar stripe, separated by a dark stripe extending through the eye. The namesake streaked throat, composed of ...
Found primarily in the understory of humid evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, secondary growth, and shaded coffee plantations, typically at low to mid-elevations ranging from sea level up to 1,500 meters.
Feeds primarily on nectar from a diverse array of small, tubular flowers, particularly those of Heliconia species, by 'traplining' established routes. Supplements its diet with small arthropods, including spiders and insects, which it gleans from foliage or catches in flight.
This diurnal species is often most active during the crepuscular hours of dawn and dusk, when it engages in its characteristic 'traplining' foraging, visiting a circuit of scattered flowers for nectar. Males are renowned for gathering at communal leks where they sing persistently from specific pe...
The Stripe-throated Hermit is a resident species distributed widely across the Neotropics, extending from southern Mexico south through Central America and into northwestern South America. Its northern range includes parts of Oaxaca and Chiapas in Mexico, continuing through Belize, Guatemala, Hon...
Least Concern
- The Stripe-throated Hermit is one of the smallest species within the hermit hummingbird subfamily, a group known for their long, decurved bills. - It employs a foraging strategy called 'traplining,' where it repeatedly visits a circuit of scattered flower patches to obtain nectar. - Males gathe...