Tawny-bellied Hermit vs White-bearded Hermit

Phaethornis syrmatophorus compared with Phaethornis hispidus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Tawny-bellied Hermit	White-bearded Hermit
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family same	Trochilidae	Trochilidae
Genus same	Phaethornis	Phaethornis
Species	Phaethornis syrmatophorus	Phaethornis hispidus

Evolutionary Relationship

Tawny-bellied Hermit and White-bearded Hermit share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Phaethornis.

Conservation Status

Tawny-bellied Hermit

LC — Least Concern

White-bearded Hermit

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Tawny-bellied Hermit	White-bearded Hermit
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Tawny-bellied Hermit

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway.

White-bearded Hermit

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Tawny-bellied Hermit

A large hermit hummingbird of humid Andean foothill forests in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, tawny-bellied hermits have warm tawny-buff underparts contrasting with greenish-bronze upper parts and a long, strongly curved bill. Found at elevations between 300–1,500 meters in montane forest understory. Like all large hermits, they are trap-line foragers visiting long routes of widely spaced flowers. Males assemble at traditional lek sites where they produce loud, repetitive vocalizations to attract females.

White-bearded Hermit

White-bearded Hermit (Phaethornis hispidus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway