Little hermit facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Little hermit |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Phaethornis
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| Species: |
longuemareus
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The Little Hermit (Phaethornis longuemareus) is a tiny hummingbird. It lives in north-eastern Venezuela, northern Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Trinidad. This bird prefers low-lying areas. You can find it in places like mangrove forests, younger forests, and even plantations. In Trinidad, it also lives in rainforests. The Little Hermit is quite common. Because of this, it is listed as a species of Least Concern by BirdLife International. This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
Contents
What Makes the Little Hermit Special?
The Little Hermit is one of the smallest birds in the world! It is about 9 centimeters (3½ inches) long. It weighs only 2½ to 3½ grams (0.08 to 0.12 ounces). That's less than a U.S. penny!
Appearance
This hummingbird has an olive-green back. Its belly and the feathers under its tail are orange-yellow. Its belly often looks a bit gray. Like many other hermit hummingbirds, it has a long, curved beak. Its central tail feathers are longer than the others and have white tips. It also has a black mask around its eyes. This mask is outlined by a whitish-yellow stripe above its eye and on its cheek. The top part of its beak is black. The bottom part is yellow with a black tip. Male Little Hermits usually have a slightly darker throat than females.
Life and Habits
Little Hermits have interesting ways of finding mates and raising their young.
Courtship and Reproduction
Male Little Hermits gather together in special spots called leks. Here, they sing and show off their tails to attract females. Their song sounds high-pitched and squeaky. It is also quite complex and they repeat it many times.
The female Little Hermit builds a cone-shaped nest. She hangs it underneath a large leaf. She usually lays two eggs. We don't know exactly how long the eggs take to hatch or when the young birds leave the nest. However, other similar hummingbirds usually hatch their eggs in 14 to 16 days. The young birds then leave the nest about 20 to 23 days later.
What They Eat
The Little Hermit mainly eats nectar from many different kinds of flowers. For example, they love flowers from the Heliconia plant. They also eat small insects and spiders. They often feed by "trap-lining." This means they visit a set path of flowers over and over again.
Images for kids
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Male Little Hermit
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Male Little Hermit
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