Long-tailed Hermit
From Costa Rica Travel Guide: Vacation and Travel tips
Long-tailed Hermit
One of the most widespread and commonly found hummingbirds in Costa Rica is the Long-tailed Hermit. This little inquisitive, yet assertive bird with a long, curved bill appears before visitors in tropical forests; hovering until frightened, then disappearing just as quickly.
Physical Description
The bill of the Long-tailed Hermits is 3.5 cm, almost one-third its body length, and its long tail feathers are half as long as the rest of its body. Other hermits can also be found to have this distinct bill and long tail feathers. Compared to other hummingbirds, the Long-tailed has unremarkable plumage, but is by no means ugly. Sporting bronzy green feathers on its back, from a darker brown head to a more yellowish-brown lower body and a brownish grey breast and belly, they are also adorned with white stripes above and below the eye, a black upper beak, but the lower is a dull orange. Adults are typically 15 cm long and weigh approximately 6 g. Females are colored the same, but are slightly smaller than the males.
Habitat/Range
In wet lowland forests this hummingbird is found in forest edges, older second growth, and streams that pass through the forest understory where there is enough sunlight for the plants they depend on for nectar to grow. It is common for this hummingbird to live at elevations as high as 1,000 m. The Long-tailed Hermit is found between southern Mexico and central Brazil, although from January to August it is more common in Caribbean lowlands along the length of the country. In the Caribbean lowlands, the Long-tailed Hermit can be seen frequently in Tortuguero National Park, La Selva Biological Station, and on the grounds of El Pizote Lodge located near Cahuita. From May to September, it is more common on the southern Pacific slope, particularly at Carara National Park, Villa Lapas, Lapa Ríos, and Corcovado National Park.
Foraging/Diet
Solitary wanderers, Long-tailed Hermits, journey far through the understory looking for nectar. These hummingbirds can adjust and adapt quickly to the changing rhythms of flower availability. As with many other hermits, it feeds by “traplining” repeatedly visiting the same flower over a large area or route. Traplines are usually 300 to 500 m in length, but can be as long as 1 km and usually run along stream edges in tall second growth or the forest understory where the flowers which the hermit favors tend to grow. The preferred species of flower for this bird are Heliconia popognatha, Costus, Aphelandra, and passionflower, which are perfect for their specially-shaped bills. Small insects and spider are also eaten from the vegetation.
Courting
The male Long-tailed Hermit courts females using a “lek” system. A lek is a gathering of males, of certain animal species, for the purposes of competitive mating display. Leks assemble before and during the breeding season, on a daily basis. The same group of males meet at a traditional place and take up the same individual positions on an arena, each occupying and defending a small territory or court. Intermittently or continuously, they spar individually with their neighbors or put on extravagant visual or aural displays (mating "dances" or gymnastics, plumage displays, vocal challenges, etc.). From as few as 3 to as many as 25 males perch at eye level in understory vegetation and call to attract females with a note described as “sree.” The call note is given at a higher pitch and then at a lower pitch with a one-note-per-second frequency. Lekking begins when heliconia flowers are abundantly blooming (usually May and June). Females arrive at the lek for the sole purpose of breeding. Apart from breeding, all parental responsibilities are performed by the female.
The female constructs a nest on the underside of a leaf tip on a palm, banana plant, or heliconia to keep the nest safe from the rain. She pieces together a tightly woven cup bound with spider web. Although she attempts to disguise the nest to thwart off predators, very few offspring survive to adulthood.
