Long-tailed Sylph vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Long-tailed Sylph | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Aglaiocercus kingii | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 11.7 cm (4.6 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 5.25 g (0.19 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Andean cloud forest; forages at Ericaceae and epiphyte blooms. Supplements diet with small … | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Deciduous and mixed forests, woodland edges, gardens, and parks with flowering plants. Migrates across the Gulf of Mexico.
Song & Call Comparison
Long-tailed Sylph
Melodic, flowing phrase with rich character; warm notes weaving in relaxed sequence typical of dawn chorus activity.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Soft, high-pitched chattering and twittering 'chee-dit'. Also produces a thin 'tik' call in flight. Wing beats create an audible high-pitched humming buzz during hovering.
Geographic Range & Migration
Long-tailed Sylph
Widespread in Andean cloud forests from Venezuela south through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. 1,000–2,800 m.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Long-tailed Sylph
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Long-tailed Sylph
Rufous Hummingbird: males with brilliant orange-rufous body; iridescent red gorget; females green above; rufous-washed below
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Metallic green upperparts and greyish-white underparts. Males have a brilliant iridescent ruby-red gorget that appears black in poor light. Females lack the gorget.
Long, straight, thin black bill adapted for probing flowers
About These Birds
Long-tailed Sylph
A spectacular hummingbird (10 cm body + 13 cm tail in males) found in Andean cloud forests from Venezuela to Bolivia at 1,500-3,000 m. Males have extraordinarily long, iridescent violet-blue outer tail feathers. Nectarivore of montane forest edges. A cloud forest icon.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only breeding hummingbird in eastern North America. These tiny birds beat their wings about 53 times per second and can fly backwards, sideways, and even briefly upside down. They make an extraordinary non-stop 800 km crossing of the Gulf of Mexico during migration.