Pale-tailed Barbthroat

Peru

Jul 17

Pale-tailed Barbthroat (Threnetes leucurus)

Name Origin:
The genus Threnetes derives from Greek threnos, meaning “lament” or “dirge,” possibly referencing the soft, low vocalizations of some species. The species epithet leucurus comes from Greek leukos meaning “white” and oura meaning “tail,” referring to its pale tail feathers.

Quick Facts

🪶 Length: 10–12 cm (3.9–4.7 in)
⚖️ Weight: ~4–5 g (0.14–0.18 oz)
🌎 Range: Northern and western Amazon Basin, including Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and the Guianas
🧭 Elevation: 0–1,000 m
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small arthropods
🏡 Habitat: Humid lowland rainforest, river edges, and forest clearings
🧬 Clade: Phaethornithinae (a.k.a. “hermits”)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)

Subspecies & Distribution

Four subspecies:

Threnetes leucurus leucurus
Distribution: Southern and eastern Venezuela to Guyana and Suriname, south through Amazonian Brazil to northern Bolivia; rare in French Guiana
Threnetes leucurus cervinicauda
Distribution: Eastern Colombia south into northeastern Peru and adjacent western Brazil
Threnetes leucurus rufigastra
Distribution: Central-eastern Peru (south of the Río Marañón) to northern Bolivia (Beni)
Threnetes leucurus medianus
Distribution: Northeastern Brazil south of the Amazon (Pará)

Species Overview

The Pale-tailed Barbthroat is a lowland forest hermit widely distributed across the western and central Amazon Basin. Though not brightly colored, it is easily recognized by its pale-tipped tail and bold facial pattern. It occupies low understory layers and is often seen hovering at flowering shrubs or darting along traplines. Compared to similar hermits, it is shorter-billed and stockier, with slightly more upright posture when perched.

Male Description:
Greenish-bronze upperparts, pale gray to buff underparts with subspecific variation, bold dark cheek stripe bordered by a pale supercilium and malar, and a relatively straight black bill. Tail is dark with large white tips on outer feathers.

Female Description:
Similar to male, but often duller with broader buffy tones and sometimes slightly shorter bill. Sexes appear nearly identical in the field.

Habitat & Behavior:
Found in lowland rainforest, forest edges, clearings, riverbanks, and early secondary growth. Uses a traplining strategy to visit a regular circuit of nectar sources. Not aggressively territorial. Often forages close to the ground and is typically silent, though it may emit a soft chittering or ticking call when disturbed.

Conservation Note:
Listed as Least Concern due to its wide range and adaptability to some disturbed habitats. However, deforestation and large-scale development in Amazonian lowlands could reduce local populations, particularly in areas where forest edge habitats are lost.

Below is the Pale-tailed Barbthroat (Threnetes leucurus rufigastra)

Photographed at Asociación para la Conservación de Aves y la Biodiversidad Koepcke's Hermit, San Martín, Peru

These individuals belong to the subspecies rufigastra, which occurs from central-eastern Peru (south of the Río Marañón) into northern Bolivia (Beni). It inhabits humid lowland rainforest, especially along edges and clearings with abundant flowering plants. This form is typically marked by warm rufous tones on the underparts, bronzy-green upperparts, and a pale-tipped tail with broad white corners. The straight black bill and strong facial stripe typical of Threnetes are retained.