Stripe-throated Hermit

How to find it

Listen first: the loud wing buzz of this tiny hermit often gives away its presence before you see it. Males sing together at leks for long stretches, so a squeaky, repeated song is a good clue to where they are. Scan low, shady spots near flowers, since it stays low and feeds in flight. Expect it to be hard to see well, and give each spot some quiet time. Visitors can look in the wetlands around Carara National Park, near the Tarcoles River, where boat trips are a good way to see birds. Hummingbird gardens are another option, including Cope's Garden, where the main draw is the White-tipped Sicklebill and several other hermits and hummingbirds visit.

How to recognise it

Look for a very small hummingbird, about 9 to 10 cm long including the tail and weighing 2 to 3 g.

Back: dull green.

Rump: pale rufous.

Throat: dark and streaked, which gives the bird its name.

Face: a blackish mask with a pale buff stripe above the eye and another pale buff stripe along the cheek.

Males and females look virtually the same, so you do not need to sort the sexes in the field. When the bird hovers at a flower and turns away, the pale rufous rump is a useful detail to catch.

What it sounds like

Recording: River Ahlquist, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

This small hermit stays low in shady places and feeds in flight at flowers. In Costa Rica and Panama, some birds steal nectar by piercing the base of Scutellaria or Pavonia flowers instead of feeding at the opening.

The male defends his territory and the flowers he feeds on. The female builds the dangling nest alone and incubates two white eggs for 15 to 16 days.

Where it lives

In Costa Rica this hermit lives from sea level up to about 1,500 m elevation. Across its range it is common in the understory of many kinds of humid habitat.

It has been photographed on both slopes, from Corcovado and Carara to La Selva in Sarapiquí, Boca Tapada de Pital, Playa Chiquita in Limón and Horquetas. It is also listed for the Turrialba area and for Cloudbridge Nature Reserve in southern Costa Rica.

When to see it

It is mostly a resident and does not migrate. Some local movements may happen in response to when different flowers are in bloom.

Similar birds

The much larger Green Hermit also lives in Costa Rica. It has a long, strongly curved bill, is about 13.5 cm long, weighs 6.3 g and is mainly dark green. The Stripe-throated Hermit is only 9 to 10 cm and has a pale rufous rump.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Ricans call it Ermitaño Enano, a name also used in Nicaragua and Mexico. Elsewhere you will hear ermitaño gorgirrayado in Colombia and Panama. The scientific name striigularis comes from Latin words for line and throat, a nod to the streaked throat, while the genus name Phaethornis means sun bird.

Status and conservation

The AOCR lists it as a resident (R), and it is generally fairly common and rated Least Concern by BirdLife International.

Photography tips

Like most hermit hummingbirds, it rarely sits where people can watch or photograph it, and even field guide pictures are mostly of birds in flight. Hummingbird gardens, where it feeds in flight at flowers, give you the best chance for a photo. Stay low, stay patient and wait in shade.