dusky-throated hermit

{{short description|Species of hummingbird}}

{{Use American English|date=November 2021}}

{{speciesbox

|image = Phaethornis squalidus.jpeg

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=Dusky-throated Hermit Phaethornis squalidus |volume=2016 |page=e.T22733913A95069144 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22733913A95069144.en |access-date=24 November 2021}}

| status2 = CITES_A2

| status2_system = CITES

| status2_ref = {{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}

| genus = Phaethornis

| species = squalidus

| authority = (Temminck, 1822)

| synonyms =

|range_map =Phaethornis squalidus map.svg

}}

The dusky-throated hermit (Phaethornis squalidus) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is endemic to Brazil.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/ |title=IOC World Bird List (v 11.2) |last1=Gill |first1= F. |last2=Donsker|first2=D.|last3=Rasmussen |first3=P. |date=July 2021 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}

Taxonomy and systematics

The dusky-throated hermit has sometimes included what is now (2021) the streak-throated hermit (P. rupurumii), but it is now treated as monotypic.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 25, 2021HBW and BirdLife International (2020) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip [.xls zipped 1 MB] retrieved May 27, 2021

Description

The dusky-throated hermit is {{convert|10|to|12.5|cm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and weighs {{convert|2.5|to|3.5|g|oz|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}. A medium-sized hermit hummingbird, it is generally brownish with a greenish back and ochraceous underparts and has a black "mask," white supercilium, malar stripe, and a dark brown throat. The sexes are generally alike, though the female may have paler underparts and a slightly more decurved bill.Hinkelmann, C., G. M. Kirwan, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Dusky-throated Hermit (Phaethornis squalidus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.duther1.01 retrieved November 24, 2021

Distribution and habitat

The dusky-throated hermit is found in southeastern Brazil, mostly from southern Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo south to Santa Catarina, and also in the Iguazu Falls area of western Paraná. It inhabits the understory of humid primary and secondary forests from the littoral zone to an elevation of {{convert|2250|m|ft|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}.

Behavior

=Movement=

The dusky-throated hermit is believed to be sedentary.

=Feeding=

The dusky-throated hermit feeds on nectar and also on small arthropods, but details of its diet and foraging technique have not been published.

=Breeding=

The dusky-throated hermit's breeding season spans from October to February. The female alone incubates a clutch size of two eggs within its cone-shaped cup nest suspended from the underside of a drooping leaf.

{{birdsong|url=https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Phaethornis-squalidus |species=dusky-throated hermit}}

=Vocalization=

The dusky-throated hermit's song is "a complex warbling high-pitched phrase repeated continuously...e.g. 'tsi-teeé-tsa-tsa-tseé-CHAW-CHAW'." Its call is "a high-pitched 'tsee!'."

Status

The IUCN has assessed the dusky-throated hermit as being of Least Concern, though its population size and trend are unknown. "Continuing destruction of rainforest may present a major threat in [the] future."

References