Reddish Hermit (Phaethornis ruber) [XC754917]
by JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA from Sinop, Cascalheiras - Mato Grosso, Brazil (song)
Reddish Hermit (Phaethornis ruber) [XC524475]
by Ciro Albano from Morro das Andorinhas, Niter\u00f3i, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (song)
Subspecies
One of the small hermits sometimes separated in genus Pygmornis. Forms a species group or even superspecies with White-browed Hermit (Phaethornis stuarti), and the two are often considered conspecific. There is very close geographical contact, if not sympatry, and one natural hybrid recorded. Other close relatives are Black-throated Hermit (Phaethornis atrimentalis), Stripe-throated Hermit (Phaethornis striigularis) and Grey-chinned Hermit (Phaethornis griseogularis). There is a zone of character introgression between nominate and subspecies longipennis, but no such zone has been found between present species and White-browed Hermit (Phaethornis stuarti). Future investigation may confirm species status for current subspecies nigricinctus and episcopus, other taxa apparently lacking introgession with nominate ruber. Birds of south-eastern Brazil have been separated as subspecies pygmaeus, but claimed differences took insufficient account of age- and sex-related individual variation homogeneously distributed over entire range of nominate subspecies. Synonyms for species include Phaethornis rufiventris and Phaethornis rufigaster. A hybrid of nominate ruber with Streak-throated Hermit (Phaethornis rupurumii) was described as "Phaethornis longuemareus aethopyga".
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
episcopus Gould, 1857 - Central and eastern Venezuela, Guyana and adjacent northern Brazil.
ruber (Linnaeus, 1758) - Surinam and French Guiana through Brazil to south-eastern Peru and northern Bolivia.
nigricinctus Lawrence, 1858 - Extreme south-western Venezuela and eastern and southern Colombia to northern Peru.
longipennis von Berlepsch & Stolzmann, 1902 - Southern Peru.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet