The sooty barbthroat is a hummingbird species in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Brazil and French Guiana.
Region
Guiana Shield and northeastern Amazonia
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland evergreen rainforest, forest edges, and second growth from eastern Guyana through Suriname and French Guiana into adjacent northern Brazil (e.g., Amapá and Pará). It favors the shaded understory and streamside thickets where Heliconia and other tubular flowers are abundant. The species tolerates lightly disturbed habitats and regenerating forest, provided suitable nectar plants persist. It forages from near ground level to the midstory and often along narrow trails and clearings.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The sooty barbthroat is a hermit hummingbird that follows a trapline, visiting a regular circuit of nectar-rich flowers in shaded forest. Its name refers to tiny bristle-like feathers at the throat that can resemble a short “barb.” It is an important pollinator of Heliconia and other tubular blossoms and also supplements its diet with small arthropods. Males often sing from low perches and may gather at loose leks during the breeding season.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with steady hovering
Social Behavior
Primarily a solitary trapline feeder, defending rich flower patches when possible. Males may sing from low, shaded perches and sometimes participate in loose leks. The nest is a small cup slung beneath a broad leaf or palm frond, built from plant fibers and spider silk. Breeding generally coincides with periods of high flower availability.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a thin, high-pitched series of repeated notes delivered persistently from a concealed perch. Calls include sharp tsee or tsip notes exchanged while foraging. Vocalizations carry well in the understory but are not loud.
Plumage
Mostly sooty-brown to dusky olive with slightly darker throat and breast; underparts uniform and matte. Shows a pale buffy supercilium and malar stripe typical of hermits, and a rounded tail with narrow pale tips to the outer feathers.
Diet
Feeds mainly on nectar from Heliconia, Costus, and other tubular flowers suited to its curved bill. It follows a predictable route between flowers (traplining) rather than defending large territories continuously. Small arthropods such as gnats and spiders are taken by hawking or gleaning to provide protein, especially during breeding.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the shaded understory along streams, forest edges, and in thickets with abundant flowering plants. Frequently uses edges of trails, gaps, and secondary growth where heliconias are dense.
