Tawny-bellied Hermit

About the Tawny-bellied Hermit

The tawny-bellied hermit (Phaethornis syrmatophorus) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Two subspecies of the tawny-bellied hermit are recognised, the nominate P. s. syrmatophorus (Gould, 1852) and P. s. columbianus (Boucard, 1891). Two others have been proposed, P. s. berlepschi and P. s. huallagae. The former was based on a specimen of an immature nominate and the latter cannot be distinguished from the nominate.

The tawny-bellied hermit is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long and weighs 5 to 7 g (0.18 to 0.25 oz). This medium-sized hermit's upperparts are olive green, and males have reddish-orange uppertail coverts. The central tail feathers of both sexes are long and white and the rest are dark with bright orange ends. The nominate subspecies has an orange throat, belly, and undertail coverts; the throat and chest of P. s. columbianus are dark brown. Both sexes have an obviously decurved bill with the female's being more curved than the male's.

The nominate subspecies of tawny-bellied hermit is found in the Western Andes of Colombia (including the... Wikipedia →