Family: The saw-billed hermit (Ramphodon naevius) is a large, robust hermit placed in the subfamily Phaethornithinae.
Description: This hummingbird has a long and somewhat heavy-looking straight bill that has serrated edges to the mandibles, which can be visible at close range. The male’s bill-tip also has a small but distinct hook. This is a large hummingbird that is the only member of the genus Ramphodon. Saw-billed hummingbirds hovered around native tubular-shaped flowers and cultivated plants for pollination.
Identification: Both sexes are otherwise similar in appearance, with shiny olive-green upperparts and pale underparts marked with heavy, dark streaking; the lower cheeks and tail edges are orange, while the pale eyebrow and an orange throat are bleeding into a pin-striped breast. The female bird is a little smaller, shorter, and has a bit more curved bill.
Nest: The nest is a typical conical structure fixed to the tip of a dangling leaf. This species is classified as near-threatened because it is believed to be declining rather rapidly, based on the rate of deforestation in its range in Brazil. Male hummingbirds protect the feeding territories by using aerial flights and aggressively following large insects such as hawk moths, bumblebees, and other males who want to feed in that territory. The average clutch contains two to three eggs, which females incubate alone. The chicks brooded for one week and then left the nest within 20 days due to insufficient space in the nest.
CALL-SOUNDS-SONGS: The vibrant saw-billed hermit sound is high-pitched: “tsuk tsuk tsuk tsuk” Normally, calls given in flight through the following trap-lining route are to warn both conspecifics and other species of hummingbirds. The seee notes are reportedly utilized to defend the trap line.
DISTRIBUTION: Saw-billed hermits prefer humid forests in Southeast Brazil. However, some evidence suggests sightings in the extreme north of Argentina. The saw-billed hermit is restricted to a small area in southeastern Brazil, spanning from Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo to eastern Santa Catarina and northern Rio Grande do Sul. It lives in the understory of the humid coastal Atlantic Forest at elevations of up to 500 meters (1,600 feet).
Habitat: The strikingly patterned hummingbird habitat is humid forest; 0–1,650 feet (0–500 m). The species is a solitary trapline feeder, but an individual will aggressively challenge and attempt to chase off other hummingbirds (including other Saw-billed Hermits) if it encounters them on its route. It visits flowers with long corollas and picks insects from the foliage.
DIET/FEEDING: These eye-catching hummingbirds mainly feed on nectar taken from different vibrant colored, scented tiny flowers of trees, shrubs, herbs, shrubs, and epiphytes. Saw-billed hummingbirds prefer high-contains sugar flowers off and on red-colored and tubular-shaped This hummingbird uses their straw-like, long, extendible tongues to take the nectar, hovering with their tails cocked upward and licking the nectar up to 12 to 14 times per second. Several times, a bird was seen hanging on the flower while feeding. During the breeding season, they also need extra protein for their young, so they also capture small spiders and insects.
Status: The saw-billed hermit is presently considered near-threatening since it has a limited range in threatened Atlantic forests. The species was endangered due to agricultural expansion, urbanization, industrialization, colonization, and road construction, eventually leading to population loss.
Migration: This little gem is sedentary, however some speculate that it makes short-distance migration.
Size and length: The saw-billed hermit is one of the heaviest hermits and is around 51⁄2–61⁄4 in (14–16 cm) long.
Weight: The weight of these hummingbirds are about 5.5 to 8.5 g
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