The Tapajós Hermit is a species of hummingbird

Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...

 in the Trochilidae family. It is found in the south-eastern Amazon

Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...

 in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, and its common name refers to the Tapajós River, which forms the western border of its distribution. This small hermit

Hermit (hummingbird)

The hermits are tropical and subtropical hummingbirds in the subfamily Phaethornithinae, comprising 30–40 species in six genera. They occur from southern Mexico, through Central America, to South America as far south as northern Argentina....

 has rufous

Rufous

Rufous is a colour that may be described as reddish-brown or brownish-red, as of rust or oxidised iron.The first recorded use of rufous as a colour name in English was in the year 1782....

 underparts, rump and tail-tips, white to the base of the tail, and a dark throat. Females are paler and longer-tailed than males.

The Tapajós Hermit was first described in 1950 as a subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

 of the Little Hermit

Little Hermit

The Little Hermit is a hummingbird that is a resident breeder in north-eastern Venezuela, northern Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Trinidad. This lowland species occurs in various semi-open wooded habitats, e.g. mangrove, secondary forest, plantations and scrub. In Trinidad it also occurs in...

. At that time many small hermits now treated as separate species were considered subspecies of the Little Hermit, and the Tapajós Hermit was believed to be most closely related to the Black-throated Hermit

Black-throated Hermit

The Black-throated Hermit is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. This small hermit is found in the western Amazon in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.-References:...

. In 1996 it was suggested that the Tapajós Hermit was entirely invalid, and actually represented hybrids between the Reddish

Reddish Hermit

The Reddish Hermit is a species of bird in the Trochilidae family, the hummingbirds. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and in the Guianas. At 7.5 cm and a weight under 3 grams, it is among the smallest of the hermits and smallest birds overall...

 and Streak-throated Hermit

Streak-throated Hermit

The Streak-throated Hermit , also known as the Rupurumi Hermit, is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Dusky-throated Hermit. The Streak-throated Hermit is found in forest, woodland and dense shrub in north-eastern South America...

s. In 2009 this hypothesis was shown to be incorrect, and the Tapajós Hermit was instated as a valid species.

External links

• Photos of the Phaethornis aethopyga. WikiAves.
• Recordings of the Phaethornis aethopyga. Xeno-canto.