Bird Guide

Grey-chinned Hermit vs White-bearded Hermit

Grey-chinned Hermit (Phaethornis griseogularis)

Grey-chinned Hermit

Phaethornis griseogularis

Tiny2 gForest

The nominate P. g. griseogularis and P. g. zonura subspecies of grey-chinned hermit are 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in) long; males weigh 1.8 to 2.5 g (0.06 to 0.09 oz) and females 1.9 to 3 g (0.07 to 0.11 oz). P. g. porcullae is about 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and weighs about 2.5 g (0.09 oz). It also has longer wings than the other two subspecies. All three subspecies have generally greenish upperparts, a cinnamon red rump, and dark tail feathers with white tips. Males have a grayish throat and cinnamon red underparts, often with a black band across the chest. Male P. g. Voice: The songs of P. g. griseogularis and P. g. zonura are "high-pitched series of notes repeated incessantly without pauses between phrases...several, evenly-spaced, slightly rising, single notes followed by a more complex warble, e.g. 'tsi ... tsee ... tseeé ... tseotsetsee'." Their call is "an explosive 'tseek!' that is mostly given in flight. The song of P. g.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Grey-chinned Hermit
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Zamora-Chinchipe: Filo de Chumbiriatza, tepui 4.5 km SW Las Orchideas, above "Cabañas Yankuam", Nangaritza Valley, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ryan F. Mandelbaum · CC BY 4.0
White-bearded Hermit (Phaethornis hispidus)

White-bearded Hermit

Phaethornis hispidus

Tiny5 gForest

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). This medium-sized hermit has bronzy green upperparts with gray margins on the uppertail coverts. The underparts are gray. The face has a black "mask" with a white supercilium and malar stripe; the center of the throat has a white stripe. The female has identical plumage but shorter wings and a shorter and more decurved bill than the male. Voice: The white-bearded hermit's song is "a continuous series of high-pitched single notes 'seep'. It is typically sung from a low perch while gathered at a lek with other males. Its call is "a short explosive 'pip!'."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christoph Moning · cc-by

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Grey-chinned Hermit and White-bearded Hermit.