The white-bearded hermit (Phaethornis hispidus) is a species of bird hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
identification
Large gray and green hermit of the lower rainforest. Gray below, green above with gray rump and white long central tail feathers. A fairly long, slightly downward-curved bill, and a prominent white throat and moustache. The sexes are the same. Similar to the great-blooded her
mit, which is very light brown overall (not gray), and has a red or orange lower mandible (not yellow). Various bird species are found in lowland rainforests. Most common along forest edges, along rivers, and around Heliconia.
Description
The white-bearded hermit is about 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 4 to 6 g (0.14 to 0.21 oz). The upper surface of this medium-sized hermit is bronze-green with gray margins. The underparts are grey. The face has a black “mask” with a white supercilium and mylar strip. There is a white stripe down the middle of the throat. The female has a similar plumage but smaller wings and a shorter and more curved bill than the male.
Distribution and accommodation
The white-bearded hermit is found in Amazonia, from the Andean foothills south of western and southern Venezuela through eastern Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to northeastern Bolivia, and eastward into western Amazonian Brazil. It usually occurs up to 850 m (2,800 ft) in elevation but has been recorded as high as 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in Peru. It is a bird of humid landscapes. In the lowlands, it lives mostly in regularly flooded areas, such as riverbanks and vara forests. At higher elevations, the Cerrado and Llanos galleries favor forest birds.
Feed
The white-bearded hermit is a “trapline” feeder like other hermit hummingbirds, visiting a circuit of various flowering plants for nectar. It also eats small arthropods.
Breeding
The breeding seasons of the white-bearded hermit vary across its large range but have yet to be defined in detail. Like many hermits, it builds a cone-shaped nest that bends under a drooping leaf. The clutch size is two eggs.
A male duck sings perched on a metal pole, neck outstretched and beak open.
To give voice
The white-bearded hermit’s song is “a continuous series of high-pitched single-note ‘sips’.” ‘Pop!’ Is”
Cool Facts about White-bearded Hermit
1. The white-bearded hermit hummingbird Variety lives a primarily solitary lifestyle. It evolved as an adaptation to help avoid competition for limited food resources.
2. Apart from occasional mating displays, the white-bearded hermit avoids social interactions and chases other birds away from food sources.
3. A man with a white beard clings to a support perch and pauses cautiously. It sees and hears any danger before it approaches the flowers.
4. Because of hummingbirds’ fast heart rate and fast metabolism, they need to feed frequently throughout the day.
5. They inhabit lower mountain slopes and foothills, especially in humid forest environments.
