Pale-bellied Hermit

About the Pale-bellied Hermit

The pale-bellied hermit (Phaethornis anthophilus) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela. Though the scale-throated hermit is a member of the large genus Phaethornis it seems to have no close relatives, and at one time was placed in its own genus, Ametrornis. It has two subspecies, the nominate P. a. anthophilus and P. a. hyalinus. It has been suggested that a third subspecies, P. a. fuscicapillus, be split from anthophilus. A putative subspecies P. a. fuliginosus was based on a melanistic morph that as of 2021 had not been identified to species.

The pale-bellied hermit is about 13 cm (5.1 in) long. Males weigh 4.5 to 5.5 g (0.16 to 0.19 oz) and females 4 to 5 g (0.14 to 0.18 oz). This medium-sized hermit has dark green to olive green upperparts and light gray underparts. The face has a black "mask" with a buffy supercilium and a mostly white throat. The male's bill is almost straight and the female's is decurved. P. a. hyalinus has more bluish green upperparts and paler underparts than the nominate. Members of the suggested P. a. fuscicapillus have shorter wings and bills... Wikipedia →