Reddish hermit

Phaethornis ruber

Photo by João Quental (Flickr)

Common name:
reddish hermit (en); rabo-branco-rubro (pt); ermite roussâtre (fr); ermitaño rojizo (es); roter zwergschattenkolibri (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Apodiformes
Family Trochilidae

Range:
This species is found in northern South America, east of the Andes, from southern and eastern Colombia east to Suriname and eastern Brazil, and south to central Bolivia and Mato Grosso, Goiás and São Paulo in Brazil.

Size:
These tiny hummingbirds are 7,5-9 cm long and weigh 1,8-3 g.

Habitat:
The reddish hermit is mostly found in the understorey of moist tropical forests, also using swamp forests, second growths and dry savannas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on the nectar of flowers such as Trichanthera, Petraea, Costus, Dahlstedtia and Heliconia, but also take small arthropods.

Breeding:
Reddish hermits breed in May-February, varying among different parts of their range. males perform an elaborate display to attract females, taking little to no part in the breeding process after mating. The female builds the nest, an elongated purse made of dry leaves, moss, lichens and fine plant fibres, which is placed hanging from the inside of the leave of a palm or other tree, 0,5-3 m above the ground. She lays 2 white eggs which she incubates alone for 15 days, and feeds the chicks alone until they fledge 18-22 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The reddish hermit is suspected to loose 15-17% of suitable habitat within its range over the next decade, based on a model of Amazonian deforestation. Therefore, it is suspected to suffer a small decline in the near future.