The buff-tailed sicklebill is a species of hermit hummingbird from the lower Andes and adjacent west Amazonian lowlands from southern Colombia and northern Ecuador to Peru and Bolivia.
Region
Western Amazon Basin and Andean foothills
Typical Environment
Found from the lower Andes and adjacent western Amazonian lowlands of southern Colombia and northern Ecuador through Peru into northern Bolivia. It inhabits humid evergreen forests, especially ravines, Heliconia thickets, and shaded understory along streams. The species favors dense, mature forest but will also use secondary growth with abundant tubular flowers. It is primarily a low to mid-elevation foothill bird, often near forest edges and clearings with rich floral resources.
Altitude Range
200–1600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This hermit hummingbird has an extremely decurved, sickle-shaped bill that lets it feed from strongly curved flowers that many other hummingbirds cannot use. It practices traplining, visiting a circuit of nectar sources deep in the forest understory. Males often display at traditional leks, where they sing from inconspicuous perches. Its specialized feeding links it closely to Heliconia and other curved tubular blossoms.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with precise hovering
Social Behavior
Usually solitary outside of leks and foraging circuits. Males may gather at small leks where they sing from low to mid-level perches to attract females. Nests are typically conical cups suspended from leaves or rootlets near shaded stream banks, with the female handling incubation and care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
High, thin, and slightly buzzy notes delivered in short series, often repeated from a concealed perch. Calls include sharp chips and squeaky sequences used in territorial interactions and lek displays.
Plumage
Dusky olive-brown to bronzy-brown overall with a slightly scaly or mottled appearance typical of hermits; tail shows warm buff tones. Underparts are darker, with subtle pale fringes on the breast feathers. The face has contrasting hermit-style stripes.
Diet
Primarily nectar from strongly curved tubular flowers such as Heliconia and other understory plants that match its bill shape. Supplements diet with small arthropods gleaned from foliage or hawked in short sallies for protein. It follows a trapline route, repeatedly visiting a sequence of flowering plants.
Preferred Environment
Shaded forest understory, especially along streams, ravines, and Heliconia patches. Often forages at low to mid-levels where curved flowers are abundant.
