Green Hermit

Phaethornis guy

Hummingbirds · Apodiformes · Uncommon

The Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy) is a uncommon hummingbird found in 7 countries, weighing about 6 g. The green hermit is a large hummingbird that is a resident breeder from southern Central America south to northern South America

Least ConcernUncommonEats nectarforestdome nest6 g

About the Green Hermit

The green hermit is a large hummingbird that is a resident breeder from southern Central America south to northern South America

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

It is 13.5 cm (5.3 in) long and weighs 6.3 g (0.22 oz). The male is mainly dark green with a blue-green rump. It has a dark mask through the eye, with buff stripes above and below this, and down the centre of the throat. The central feathers of the tapered tail are—for large hermit—relatively short and white-tipped, and are wiggled in display at the communal leks. The reddish bill is long and decurved. The female is sooty gray (rather than green) below, with an even longer bill and a much longer tail. The call of this species is a loud zurk, and the males' lekking "song" is a repeated swark.

What the Green Hermit sounds like

Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Where it lives

When to see it

The Green Hermit can be seen all year round, with peak activity in March. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Green Hermit?
It is 13.5 cm (5.3 in) long and weighs 6.3 g (0.22 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Green Hermit?
The Green Hermit is a tiny sized bird weighing about 6 g.
Where can you see a Green Hermit?
The Green Hermit occurs in 7 countries, including Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador and Trinidad & Tobago.
What does a Green Hermit sound like?
You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Green Hermit on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
What birds look similar to a Green Hermit?
The Green Hermit is most easily confused with the Long-billed Hermit, the Stripe-throated Hermit and the Planalto Hermit.
Is the Green Hermit endangered?
The Green Hermit is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Green Hermit for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

Play BeakBrain

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