Phaethornis philippii
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The needle-billed hermit (Phaethornis philippii) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru. The needle-billed hermit is monotypic. It and the straight-billed hermit (P. bourcieri) were at one time placed in genus Ametrornis that was later merged into Phaethornis. The needle-billed hermit and Koepcke's hermit are sister species and may form a superspecies.
The needle-billed hermit is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long. Males weigh 4 to 6 g (0.14 to 0.21 oz) and females 4 to 5.5 g (0.14 to 0.19 oz). It is one of the few hermit hummingbirds with a nearly straight bill. Its upperparts are dark bronzy green with a dull rufous rump. The tail is mostly dark green. The innermost pair of tail feathers are longer than the others and have long white tips; the others have broad buffy rufous tips. The face has a black "mask" bordered with narrow pale streaks. The underparts are orange.
The needle-billed hermit is found in eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil south of the Amazon River as far east as the Tapajós River. It inhabits the understory of lowland... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Needle-billed Hermit sighting in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, based on 114 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 305th most-seen of the 550 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Needle-billed Hermit in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in December to September, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Needle-billed Hermit sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Needle-billed Hermit sightings, Tambopata National Reserve has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Manu National Park (Peru, under 5%).
Same genus: Phaethornis
The closest relatives of the Needle-billed Hermit that you can see in Tambopata National Reserve (genus Phaethornis, Typical Hermits) are Reddish Hermit (about 20%) and White-bearded Hermit (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Needle-billed Hermit is recorded against all the birds logged in Tambopata National Reserve (114 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
