Planalto Hermit
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Quick Facts
- Scientific Name: Phaethornis pretrei
- Spanish Name: Ermitaño del Planalto
- Family: Trochilidae
- Known Nicknames: Planalto Hermit, Grey-breasted Hermit, Planalto Hermit Hummingbird
- Average Length: 13–15 cm / 5.1–5.9 in
- Average Weight: 4–6 g / 0.14–0.21 oz
- Wingspan: N/A
- Key Feature: Long, decurved bill and white-tipped outer tail feathers
- Primary Diet: Primarily Nectarivore (also small arthropods)
- Range: Central and eastern Brazil, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northwestern Argentina
- Habitat: Forest edges, secondary growth, gallery forests, and cerrado savanna
- Social Structure: Solitary (often seen at leks during breeding)
- Nesting/Breeding: Cup-shaped nest attached to the underside of a palm frond or large leaf
- Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
- Population Trend: Stable
The Planalto Hermit (*Phaethornis pretrei*) is a dazzling, medium-sized hummingbird native to the interior highlands of Brazil, distinguished by its dramatically elongated, decurved bill and a striking white-tipped tail that flashes in flight. Its general appearance is a study in subtle elegance: the plumage is predominantly a warm, bronzy-green above, fading to a pale, buffy-gray below, with a bold, dark mask and a white stripe above the eye. A truly special feature is its unique "hermit" behavior—rather than defending flower patches, it follows a fixed "trap-line" route through the forest understory, visiting specific flowers in a predictable sequence, a strategy that maximizes nectar efficiency while minimizing energy expenditure.
Fun Facts
The Planalto Hermit is a master of "trap-lining," visiting specific flowers in a predictable sequence like a delivery route, often piercing the base of blooms with its curved bill to steal nectar without pollinating. It performs a unique "pendulum" display during courtship, swinging side-to-side in front of a perched female while singing, and its long, forked tail feathers act as a rudder during these precise aerial maneuvers. Remarkably, it can enter a state of torpor on cold nights, drastically lowering its metabolism to conserve energy, sometimes even hanging upside-down like a bat while doing so.
Habitats & Distribution
The Planalto Hermit is found in central and eastern South America, primarily within Brazil, but also ranging into eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Its habitat consists of a variety of semi-open and forest-edge environments, including the interior of gallery forests, humid woodlands, and the dense understory of the Cerrado savanna. It also commonly inhabits secondary growth, plantations, and gardens, particularly where flowering plants like heliconias and bromeliads provide nectar. This species avoids the interior of dense, closed-canopy rainforest, favoring instead areas with light gaps and clearings.
Behaviours & Reproduction
The Planalto Hermit is generally solitary, with males defending dispersed flowering territories rather than forming pair bonds. Their mating system is a dispersed lek, where males gather in loose aggregations to sing from perches and perform aerial displays to attract females, but they do not cooperate in courtship. Females visit these leks to select a mate, after which copulation occurs, and the male takes no further part in reproduction. The female builds a small, cup-shaped nest attached to the underside of a palm frond or large leaf, often near water, using plant fibers and spider webs. She lays two white eggs and incubates them alone for about 14–16 days, then feeds the chicks regurgitated nectar and small arthropods until they fledge at 20–22 days. A unique reproductive strategy is that the female may reuse or repair the same nest for multiple broods within a season, leveraging the protective leaf shelter to reduce energy expenditure on nest construction.
Diet
The Planalto Hermit is a specialized nectarivore, feeding almost exclusively on the nectar of flowers, particularly those with long, tubular corollas that match its curved bill, such as species of *Heliconia*, *Costus*, and various bromeliads. As a "trap-line" forager, it follows a consistent, repeated route through the forest understory, visiting specific flowers in a predictable sequence to maximize energy efficiency. An interesting dietary fact is that it also consumes small arthropods like spiders and insects, which it gleans from leaves or catches in mid-air, but this protein intake is a minor component—estimated at less than 10% of its diet—used primarily to supplement its nectar-based energy during breeding season or when nectar sources are scarce.
Colors
The Planalto Hermit is primarily olive-brown above with a rufous rump and uppertail coverts, while the underparts are pale grayish-brown with a buffy wash. Its most distinctive feature is a long, decurved bill and a bold, dark mask through the eye bordered by a white supercilium and malar stripe. The central tail feathers are elongated and pointed, with white tips on the outer rectrices, and it lacks any iridescent or bright markings, relying on its cryptic brown plumage for camouflage in the understory.
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