Budgerigar vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Melopsittacus undulatus compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Budgerigar | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Melopsittacus undulatus | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Psittaciformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Psittaculidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 18.0 cm (7.1 in) | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 30.0 cm (11.8 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 30.0 g (1.06 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Primarily grass seeds and other small seeds. In the wild, feeds on the ground in … | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | 4-6 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Budgerigar
Open grasslands, scrublands, and woodland in the Australian interior. Nomadic, following rainfall and seeding events.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Deciduous and mixed forests, woodland edges, gardens, and parks with flowering plants. Migrates across the Gulf of Mexico.
Song & Call Comparison
Budgerigar
A rising, chattering 'budgerigar' chatter: rapid series of 'chek-chek-chek' and melodic warbling. Enormous wild flocks produce a continuous roaring chorus. Good vocal mimics in captivity.
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
Budgerigar
Interior of Australia, especially arid and semi-arid regions. One of the most popular pet birds worldwide.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Budgerigar
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Budgerigar
Wild-type is green with yellow head and barred black scalloping on upperparts. Captive-bred varieties include blue, white, yellow, and many other colors.
Short, downward-curved, olive-grey bill typical of parakeets
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
Budgerigar
The budgerigar is the third most popular pet in the world after dogs and cats, and by far the most common pet parrot. Wild budgies travel in enormous nomadic flocks that can darken the sky. Males can learn to mimic human speech, with one record-holding budgie having a vocabulary of 1,728 words.
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.