Bad-smelling Alkanet vs Gray-chinned Hermit

Alkanna maleolens compared with Phaethornis griseogularis

Key Differences

• Bad-smelling Alkanet is Critically Endangered while Gray-chinned Hermit is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Gray-chinned Hermit
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Boraginaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Alkanna	Phaethornis
Species	Alkanna maleolens	Phaethornis griseogularis

Conservation Status

Bad-smelling Alkanet

CR — Critically Endangered

Gray-chinned Hermit

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Gray-chinned Hermit
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bad-smelling Alkanet

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Gray-chinned Hermit

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Bad-smelling Alkanet

The Bad-smelling Alkanet (Alkanna maleolens) is a species in the genus Alkanna. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Gray-chinned Hermit

A small, inconspicuous hermit hummingbird of dry and humid forests in the Andes from Colombia to Bolivia, gray-chinned hermits have brownish upper parts, grey chin, and pale buff underparts with a white-tipped central tail — a subtle palette compared to many hummingbirds. They inhabit forest understorey and shrubby forest edge at elevations of 300–1,600 meters, following systematic trap-line routes to visit flowering plants. Males gather at leks to attract females through persistent vocalization.