The Dusky-throated hermit (Phaethornis squalidus) is a species of bird hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is endemic to Brazil.
Taxonomy and systematics
The Dusky-throated hermit is sometimes included in what is now (2021) the straight-throated hermit (P. ruporumi) but is now considered monogamous.
Description
The Dusky-throated hermit is 10 to 12.5 cm (3.9 to 4.9 in) long and weighs 2.5 to 3.5 g (0.088 to 0.12 oz). It is a medium-sized hermit hummingbird Varieties. It is usually brown in color with a greenish back and ochraceous underparts. It has a black “mask,” white supercilium and malar stripe, and a dark brown throat. The sexes are generally similar, although the underparts of females are lighter and slightly more curved.
Distribution and accommodation
The Dusky-throated hermit is found in southeastern Brazil, mostly from southern Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo to Santa Catarina, and also in the Iguazu Falls region of western Paraná. It inhabits humid primary and secondary forests from the coastal zone up to an elevation of 2,250 meters (7,400 ft).
The Dusky-throated hermit is believed to be seated.
Also Read : Hook-billed hermit
Feed
The Dusky-throated hermit also feeds on nectar and small arthropods, but details of its diet and foraging techniques have not been published.
Breeding
The breeding season of The Dusky-throated hermit is from October to February. Its nest is a cone-shaped cup hanging from the underside of a drooping leaf. The clutch size is two eggs and they are incubated by a single female.
To sound
The Dusky-throated hermit song is “a complex, warbling, high-pitched phrase that is repeated constantly… like ‘tsi-teeé-tsa-tsa-tseé-CHAW-CHAW’.” Its call is “a high-pitched ‘tsee!’
Cool Facts of Dusky-throated Hermit
1. The Dusky-throated Hermit’s breeding season coincides with the peak flowering of its Heliconia food plants, which varies across its range.
2. Breeding in Central America occurs primarily from March to July, while Amazonian populations breed later in the rainy season, from July to October.
3. As part of courtship, the male performs a hovering display flight in front of the female, flying back and forth in a U-shaped pattern. Once mated, the female builds a small cup nest on the fern, palm, or heliconia leaves 1-2 meters above the ground.
4. She builds a nest under a plant covered in spider webs and lays two small white eggs. Incubation lasts 15-19 days and the chicks fledge at about 20-26 days of age.
5. The female takes care of and feeds the young without the help of the male.
