Cinnamon-throated hermit facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cinnamon-throated hermit |
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Phaethornis
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nattereri
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The cinnamon-throated hermit (Phaethornis nattereri) is a small and speedy hummingbird. It belongs to the Trochilidae family, which is the scientific name for all hummingbirds. You can find this special bird in parts of Bolivia and Brazil in South America.
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How Scientists Classify This Bird
Scientists are still learning about the cinnamon-throated hermit. Sometimes, a bird called the Maranhao hermit is thought to be the same species, just a different look for the male. However, the "Maranhao" hermit lives in a separate area and sounds different when it sings! This makes some scientists wonder if it might be its own unique species. More studies are needed to figure this out for sure. For now, the cinnamon-throated hermit is usually considered a single species, meaning it doesn't have different subspecies.
What Does It Look Like?
The cinnamon-throated hermit is a small bird, about 10 cm (3.9 in) (4 inches) long. It weighs only about 2.3 to 3 g (0.08 to 0.11 oz), which is lighter than a penny!
Males have brownish feathers on their upper body and green wings. Their belly and chest are a warm, reddish-brown color, like cinnamon. The two feathers in the middle of their tail are long and have white tips.
Both male and female cinnamon-throated hermits have a black "mask" across their eyes. They also have a pale stripe above their eye and another pale stripe below it, on their cheek. Females look a lot like the males, but their throat is a bit paler. Their central tail feathers are also a little longer.
Where Does It Live?
The cinnamon-throated hermit lives in two main areas. One area is in eastern Bolivia and nearby parts of Brazil, like the states of Mato Grosso and Rondônia. The other area is in northeastern Brazil, including states like Maranhão, Piauí, and Ceará. It might even live in the big area between these two known spots!
This hummingbird doesn't live in dense rainforests. Instead, it prefers other types of forests and landscapes. You can find it in forests where trees lose their leaves part of the year, in younger forests that are growing back, and in forests along rivers (called gallery forests). It also lives in grassy areas with scattered trees called cerrado, and in dry shrublands known as caatinga. These birds can live from sea level up to about 500 m (1,600 ft) (1,640 feet) high.
How Does It Behave?
Moving Around
Scientists believe the cinnamon-throated hermit stays in the same area all year round. It doesn't seem to migrate or travel long distances.
What Does It Eat?
Like many other hermit hummingbirds, the cinnamon-throated hermit is a "trap-line" feeder. This means it flies a regular route, visiting the same flowering plants over and over again to drink their sweet nectar. It also eats tiny arthropods, which are small creatures like insects or spiders.
Raising Young
We don't know much about how the cinnamon-throated hermit raises its young. Its nest is usually found hanging underneath a large, drooping leaf, which helps keep it hidden and safe. The "Maranhao" hermit, which might be the same species, breeds between November and April.
What Does It Sound Like?
The song of the cinnamon-throated hermit is a high-pitched sound that it repeats again and again without stopping. It sounds like "tsee ... tsee ... tsee ... nya-ka-wee."
Its Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed the cinnamon-throated hermit as a species of "Least Concern." This means it's not currently in danger of disappearing. However, scientists haven't figured out exactly how many of these birds there are. They believe the number of birds might be slowly decreasing. Even though it's not well-known, it seems to be common in some local areas and lives in a few protected places.
See also
In Spanish: Ermitaño de Natterer para niños
