The Bronzy Hermit (Glaucis aenea) is a small hummingbird species found in South America. With an average body length of only 9 cm and weight of 5-6 grams, it is one of the smallest hummingbirds in the world. The Bronzy Hermit gets its name from its distinct bronze-green plumage on the head, back and wings. The underside is white with colorful spotting on the throat. The long needle-like bill is slightly curved to allow accessing nectar from flowers.
Range and Habitat
The Bronzy Hermit has a wide distribution across northern and central South America. Its range stretches along the Andes mountains from Venezuela to Bolivia and south-east Brazil. It occupies diverse habitats from lowland rainforests to mountain cloud forests up to elevations of 3000 meters. Within this range, it resides in humid forests, forest edges, plantations and gardens rich in flowers.
Identification
The Bronzy Hermit is a tiny, quick-flying bird identified by its small size, bronze-green upperparts and white underparts covered in colorful spotting. The straight, needle-like bill is proportionately long compared to the small head and body. The tail is rounded and wings are narrow with dark flight feathers. Sexes look alike. Juveniles have buff spotting rather than colorful throat spots.
Diet and Feeding
As a dedicated nectar-feeder, the Bronzy Hermit’s diet consists almost entirely of nectar from blooming flowers as well as small arthropods. It uses its specialized long bill to drink nectar while hovering in front of flowers. Occasionally it may steal nectar by piercing bases of flowers rather than entering properly. Flowers of canopy trees, epiphytes and herbs are regularly visited. The hermit also hawks small insects in flight to supplement its high-energy diet.
Unique Behaviors
The Bronzy Hermit displays some interesting behaviors related to feeding. It is known to follow swarms of army ants and feed opportunistically on insects flushed by the ant columns. A technique called “traplining” involves repeatedly visiting favorite flower patches in a habitual route or circuit. The hermit shows remarkable memory by revisiting productive flowers across seasons. It aggressively guards flower territories against intruders and chases away larger hummingbirds.
Breeding and Nesting
The breeding season aligns with peak flower blooming from March to June. Remarkably, the tiny Bronzy Hermit builds a relatively giant nest up to 12 cm wide and 8 cm deep. The female constructs the nest with plant down, spider webs and lichens on a thin twig 1-12 meters above ground. She incubates the two pea-sized white eggs for 15-19 days. Nestlings fledge in about 20-26 days. Parental care duties are performed solely by the female. Males are promiscuous and provide no paternal care.
Migration
There is limited data on migration in this widespread species. The Bronzy Hermit appears to be resident across much of its range. However, some seasonal movements downslope and southward are reported in response to flower availability. Vagrants occasionally turn up far outside the normal range. Banding studies are needed to better understand movement patterns.
Threats and Conservation
With its broad distribution, the Bronzy Hermit is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Specific threats are poorly known, but likely include habitat loss to agriculture and degradation from invasive species. The species occurs in numerous protected areas across its range. Maintaining intact flower-rich forests through habitat protection will benefit the Bronzy Hermit population. More research is needed on breeding, migration and threats to guide targeted conservation efforts.
Fun Facts
– The Bronzy Hermit is the smallest hermit hummingbird species in the world. Hermit refers to its solitary nature compared to social hummingbird species.
– Its tiny size allows it to hover and access nectar from the smallest of flowers that are inaccessible to larger birds.
– The species name “aenea” refers to its bronze-colored plumage. The genus name “Glaucis” is derived from Ancient Greek meaning “owl-like” or “with big eyes”.
– This hermit hummer beats its wings at an incredible 70 times per second and its heart can reach 1200 beats per minute during flight.
– The long bill has specialized grooves on the inside tip to help lap up nectar. The tongue is forked to aid in nectar collection.
– Males perform aerial courtship displays to attract females by flying in repeated upright loops above the canopy. The wings produce a buzzing “cheet” vocalization.
– The Bronzy Hermit’s favorite flowers include passionflowers, mistletoe, penstemons, fuchsias, coral bean and others with tubular red blooms.
In summary, the petite Bronzy Hermit is a unique hummingbird perfectly adapted to feed on flower nectar across a variety of South American habitats. Despite its small size, this species exhibits remarkable stamina thanks to a hyperactive metabolism and specialized feeding abilities allowing it to thrive and carry on the evolutionary lineage of hermit hummingbirds. With continued habitat conservation, this bronze-green jewel of the Andes and Amazon will continue gracing its equatorial haunts.