Sooty-capped Hermit

Common name: Sooty-capped Hermit
Scientific name: Phaethornis augusti
Clades: Phaethornithinae - Hermits

The Sooty-capped hermit is about 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long. The males weigh 4.5 to 6 g (0.16 to 0.21 oz) and the females 4 to 5 g (0.14 to 0.18 oz).

Sooty-capped Hermits are one of the most curious hermits. They frequently pause to observe and learn more about their surroundings. Generally, gray below and grayish brown above, with prominent rufous edging on the rump and upper tail of both sexes. Foraging in the undergrowth, small clearings, and second-growth areas of dry and humid forests, they are typically found below 500 meters. In addition to darting about, Sooty-capped Hermits sing constantly and wag their tails from permanent perches. The nests of these birds display strange walls of dried mud and spider webs.

3 subspecies:

1. P. a. curiosus
   Distribution Santa Marta Mts (N Colombia).

2. P. a. augusti
   Distribution Coastal Range and E Andes in Venezuela, S on E slope of E Andes in Colombia.

3. P. a. incanescens
   Distribution isolated tepuis of S Venezuela, W Guyana and N Brazil (Roraima).