Bird Guide

Long-tailed Hermit vs Straight-billed Hermit

Long-tailed Hermit (Phaethornis superciliosus)

Long-tailed Hermit

Phaethornis superciliosus

Tiny6 gForest

The adult long-tailed hermit is mainly dull brownish green above with a buff-tinged rump. It has a dark mask through the eye, bordered above and below with whitish-buff stripes. The underparts are pale greyish-buff in colour. The sexes are similar, although the female is slightly smaller. It is the largest of hermit hummingbirds, with a length of around 15 cm (5.9 in) and a body mass of 6.3 g (0.22 oz). During the breeding season, male long-tailed hermits sing in communal leks of up to several dozen birds, and also wiggle their long tails in display.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Conrado Pável de Oliveira · CC BY 4.0
Straight-billed Hermit (Phaethornis bourcieri)

Straight-billed Hermit

Phaethornis bourcieri

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The straight-billed hermit is 12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 3.5 to 5 g (0.12 to 0.18 oz). It is one of the few hermit hummingbirds with a straight bill. Its upperparts are olive green and the underparts brownish to grayish. The innermost pair of tail feathers are longer than the others and have long white tips; the others also have white tips. P. b. major is significantly larger than the nominate but has similar plumage. Voice: The straight-billed hermit's song is "a high-pitched phrase repeated over and over, punctuated by short dull-sounding notes, 'tsii'ti'ti'tsii...tip...tip...tsii'ti'ti'tsii....tip...tip...tip...'", and is very different from the songs of other Phaethornis hermits. Its calls are usually given in flight and include "a rather monotonous 'tseet' and a dull 'chep'."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Biodiversity Heritage Library · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Long-tailed Hermit and Straight-billed Hermit.