Species of hummingbird
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The great-billed hermit (Phaethornis malaris) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Taxonomy and systematics.
The great-billed hermit's taxonomy is confusing. What are now the long-billed hermit ("P. longirostris") and long-tailed hermit ("P. superciliosus") were considered conspecific and included many subspecies that are now assigned to the great-billed hermit. A satisfactory taxonomic treatment of the entire "P. longirostris/P. superciliosus/P. malaris" group is still lacking according to some Neotropical ornithologists.
These six subspecies of great-billed hermit are generally recognized:
The subspecies "P. m. margarettae" is sometimes treated as a separate species, "Margaretta's hermit" ("P. margarettae"), and "P. m. ochraceiventris" has also been considered for species rank. At least two other populations within the existing subspecies have been suggested as additional subspecies.
Description.
The great-billed hermit is long. Males weigh and females . The nominate subspecies is the largest. It has greenish-brown upperparts and brownish to grayish underparts. Its uppertail coverts have dark and light ochre bands and the central tail feathers are long with long white tips. It has a long decurved bill, with the female's being shorter but more curved than the male's. "P. m. insolitus" is smaller than the nominate but otherwise similar. "P. m. moorei" has paler, grayer, underparts than the nominate. "P. m. bolivianus" and "P. m. margarettae" are the smallest subspecies. The former has a dark brown throat and breast and an orange-ochre belly; "P. m. margarettae" is very similar to "bolivianus" but has paler underparts. "P. m. ochraceiventris" has a bright orange breast and belly.
Distribution and habitat.
The subspecies of great-billed hermit are found thus:
The subspecies inhabit the understory of a variety of rainforest landscapes including "terra firme", foothill, and higher elevation tropical forest; transitional forest; secondary forest; and bamboo thickets. "P. m. ochraceiventris" in addition is found in "igapó" forest. In most areas it is found below of elevation but occurs as high as in Colombia and in Bolivia.
Behavior.
Feeding.
The great-billed hermit is a "trap-line" feeder like other hermit hummingbirds, visiting a circuit of a variety of flowering plants for nectar. Examples include "Heliconia" and "Pitcairnia". It also consumes small arthropods.
Breeding.
The great-billed hermit's breeding seasons vary across its range, for instance at least August to December in French Guiana, June to September in Bolivia, and June to November in Peru. Like most hermits, it builds a cone-shaped nest of plant fibers and spider silk suspended from the underside of a drooping leaf. The clutch size is two eggs.
Vocalization.
The great-billed hermit's song is generally "a continuous series of single, bisyllablic rising, falling 'slee-up' notes" that differs somewhat among the subspecies. It also makes "a sharp 'skweep!'" call, usually in flight.
Status.
The IUCN has assessed the great-billed hermit as being of Least Concern, though its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. However, "[subspecies] "margarettae", limited to forest remnants in [eastern] Brazil, could be threatened by further habitat destruction."
References.
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