Reddish Hermit

Common name: Reddish Hermit
Scientific name: Phaethornis ruber
Clades: Phaethornithinae - Hermits

The Reddish hermit is 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) long and weighs 1.8 to 3 g (0.06 to 0.11 oz).

The Reddish Hermit is a tiny and charismatic hermit. It has a very contrasting black mask. The upper part is dark-olive, and the lower part and the rump are cinnamon. A male's breast band is incomplete and his tail and wings are shorter than a female's. In forests and forest edges, it is usually found in the lower strata where Heliconia flowers grow.

4 subspecies:

1. P. r. episcopus C and E Venezuela, Guyana and adjacent N Brazil (Roraima).

2. P. r. ruber Suriname and French Guiana through Brazil to SE Peru and N Bolivia.

3. P. r. nigricinctus extreme SW Venezuela and E and S Colombia S to E Ecuador, NE Peru and NW Brazil.

4. P. r. longipennis foothills in SE Peru (Pasco to N Cuzco).