Rufous-tailed Hummingbird vs Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Amazilia tzacatl compared with Ocreatus addae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-tailed Hummingbird | Rufous-booted Racket-tail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Amazilia tzacatl | Ocreatus addae |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 11.3 cm (4.4 in) | — |
| Weight | 5.04 g (0.18 oz) | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Common lowland nectarivore of Central America; visits Heliconia, banana, and garden flowers. Supplements with insects … | Nectarivore of Bolivian and Peruvian cloud forest; visits Ericaceae and bromeliads. Gleans small insects from … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Deep, resonant trill with buzzing character; powerful churring vibration carrying across open hillside.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Geographic Range & Migration
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Widely distributed from Mexico through Central America to western Ecuador. Resident in varied lowland habitats.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Found in cloud forests of northern Bolivia and adjacent Peru and Brazil at 400–1,400 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
How to Tell Them Apart
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Coucal: entirely rufous-brown overall; long dark graduated tail; red eye; monochromatic rufous plumage; sexually similar
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Golden-bellied Starfrontlet: tiny; males with brilliant orange-gold belly; violet gorget; females green above; spotted buff below
About These Birds
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
A medium-sized hummingbird (10-11 cm) widely distributed from Mexico through Central America to western Ecuador. Green plumage with a rufous tail. Red bill with dark tip. Nectarivore of gardens, forest edges, and second growth. One of the most common Neotropical hummingbirds.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
A small hummingbird (8-10 cm plus tail rackets) found in Andean cloud forests of southeastern Peru and Bolivia at 1,200-2,200 m. Males have rufous leg puffs instead of white. Recently split from Booted Racket-tail. Nectarivore of montane forest undergrowth.