Hooded Visorbearer vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Augastes lumachella compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Hooded Visorbearer | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Augastes lumachella | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Near Threatened | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 12.0 cm (4.7 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 4.4 g (0.16 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore specializing in montane campo rupestre blooms. Supplements nectar diet with small arthropods. | 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
Hooded Visorbearer
Harsh, buzzy chatter with raspy edge; rough notes interspersed with sharper chips in energetic vocal display.
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
Hooded Visorbearer
Endemic to the campo rupestre highlands of eastern Bahia, Brazil, in the Chapada Diamantina region. 800–1,600 m.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Hooded Visorbearer
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Hooded Visorbearer
Booted Racket-tail: males with elongated violet-blue racket tail feathers; glittering blue-violet gorget; white leg puffs; green body
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
Hooded Visorbearer
A small hummingbird (8-9 cm) endemic to the Chapada Diamantina highlands of Bahia, Brazil. Luminous golden-green forehead visor and dark plumage. Nectarivore of rocky campo rupestre habitats. Classified as Endangered due to extremely restricted range and habitat degradation.
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.