About Phaethornis eurynome (R.Lesson, 1832)
This hummingbird species, commonly called the scale-throated hermit, has the scientific name Phaethornis eurynome (R.Lesson, 1832). It reaches an overall length of approximately 14 to 14.5 cm (5.5 to 5.7 in). Males weigh between 4.5 and 6 g (0.16 to 0.21 oz), while females weigh 4 to 5 g (0.14 to 0.18 oz). This is a medium-sized hermit hummingbird, with olive green plumage on its upperparts and grayish plumage on its underparts. Its dark throat features feathers with lighter edges, which create the scaly appearance that gives the species its common name. The bird’s face has a black "mask", paired with a pale supercilium and a pale gular stripe. All tail feathers have white tips, and the middle pair of tail feathers is longer than the rest. The sexes have similar appearance, though females have shorter wings and a bill that is less strongly decurved. The species has two recognized subspecies. The two share identical plumage, but P. e. paraguayensis is significantly smaller than the nominate subspecies. The nominate subspecies is distributed in southeastern Brazil, ranging from southeastern Bahia south to Rio Grande do Sul. P. e. paraguayensis is found in eastern Paraguay and the Misiones Province of northeastern Argentina. The species inhabits the understory across multiple landscape types within the Atlantic Forest biome. These include lowland rainforest, montane rainforest, semi-deciduous forest, and mature secondary forest. It has been recorded at elevations between 100 and 2,250 m (330 to 7,400 ft).
