Green Hermit

The Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy) is a large and distinctive hummingbird, measuring approximately 13.5 cm in length and weighing around 6.3 grams. The male of the species is predominantly dark green with a shimmering blue-green rump. A dark facial mask is present, bordered by buff stripes above and below, and a central stripe down the throat. The tail is tapered with relatively short central feathers that are white-tipped, a characteristic feature in display at leks. The bill is a striking reddish hue, long and decurved. Females differ by having a sooty gray underpart rather than green, a longer bill, and a more extended tail.

Identification Tips

To identify the Green Hermit, look for the dark green plumage in males, the blue-green rump, and the distinctive white-tipped tail feathers. The female can be recognized by her sooty gray underparts and longer tail. Both sexes have a long, decurved reddish bill, which is a key feature for identification.

Habitat

The Green Hermit prefers the undergrowth of forests, often in proximity to water. It has an affinity for hilly regions and is typically found in primary rainforests and wet premontane forests. While it can tolerate some habitat destruction, it tends to avoid secondary forests if more suitable habitats are available.

Distribution

This species is a resident breeder, with its range extending from southern Central America, through Costa Rica and Panama, to northern South America, including north-eastern Venezuela, Trinidad, and the northern Andes of eastern Peru.

Behaviour

The Green Hermit is known for its lekking behavior, where males gather and display their white-tipped tails to attract females. The breeding season is marked by active leks, particularly observed between September and November in the Colombian Cordillera Oriental.

Song & Calls

The call of the Green Hermit is a loud "zurk," while the lekking song of the males is a repeated "swark."

Breeding

During the breeding season, males congregate at leks to perform courtship displays. The female lays a single egg in a conical nest suspended beneath a large leaf, often situated above water. The incubation period lasts for 17-18 days, with fledging occurring after another 21 to 23 days.

Diet and Feeding

The Green Hermit's diet consists of nectar from a variety of flowers and some small insects. It shows a preference for flowers measuring 30-50 mm in length and 2-7 mm in width, although it will occasionally visit larger or smaller blooms. Among its favored food plants are yellow jacobinia, spiral ginger, and various species from the Acanthaceae, Bromeliaceae, Gesneriaceae, Heliconiaceae, and Malvaceae families.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the Green Hermit as Least Concern, indicating that the species does not currently face a significant risk of extinction in the wild.