The Straight-billed Hermits (Phaethornis bourcieri) is a South American hummingbird that occurs naturally in the Guyanas, Suriname, and French Guiana; northern Amazon Basin of Brazil; Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador and Peru; and eastern Venezuela and the Orinoco River Basin.
They inhabit the understorey of lowland terra firme rainforest; as well as the dense areas of adjacent semi-deciduous or pre-montane forest; To a lesser extent, they can be found along the forest edge, in bamboo thickets, varzéa fores, second growth or plantations and lowlands up to ~ 5,000 feet (1,600m).
It is also known as Ermitaño Piquirrecto (Spanish), Ermite de Bourcier (French) and Braunbauch-Schattenkolibri (German).
Subspecies and Distribution
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- Phaethornis bourcieri bourcieri (Lesson, 1832) – Nominate Race
- Range: Eastern Colombia and northern Peru to southern Venezuela, Guianas and Brazil north of Amazon.
- Phaethornis bourcieri major (Hinkelmann, 1989)
- Range: Brazil south of Amazon along eastern bank of lower Tapajós river.
- Phaethornis bourcieri bourcieri (Lesson, 1832) – Nominate Race
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Description
They have been named after their long, straight beaks. The upper beak is dark-colored; the lower beak is orangy with dark tip.
The Straight-billed Hermits upper plumage is greenish-brownish in color. The dark dail is white-tipped. The chest and abdomen are pale.
