Scale-throated Hermit

Overview

The scale-throated hermit (Phaethornis eurynome) is a medium-sized species in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Identification

• Length of 14 to 14.5 cm with a medium-sized body.
• Olive green upperparts and grayish underparts.
• Dark throat with feathers having lighter edges that create a scaly appearance.
• Black facial mask with a pale supercilium and gular stripe; tail feathers have white tips.

Habitat

This species inhabits the understory of the Atlantic Forest biome, including lowland and montane rainforest, semi-deciduous forest, and mature secondary forest. It is found in southeastern Brazil from southeastern Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul, as well as in eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina's Misiones Province, ranging from 100 to 2,250 m in elevation.

Diet

As a trap-line feeder, it visits a circuit of various flowering plants to feed on nectar. It also consumes small arthropods.

Did you know?

The nest is often decorated with the lichen Spiloma roseum, which stains both the eggs and the nesting female red. The supposed 'black-billed hermit' was actually proven to be a mutant P. eurynome with an all-black bill.