Beautiful Hummingbird vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Calothorax pulcher compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Beautiful Hummingbird | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Calothorax pulcher | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 7.4 cm (2.9 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 2.6575 g (0.09 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on nectar from dry-forest flowers in Oaxaca, hovering at low scrub blooms. Catches gnats … | 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
Beautiful Hummingbird
Soft, pure whistle with plaintive character; gentle wavering tone fading gently in dense cloud forest shade.
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
Beautiful Hummingbird
Endemic to southwestern Mexico in Guerrero and Oaxaca. Resident in dry forest and thorn scrub at 600-2,000 m elevation.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Beautiful Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Beautiful Hummingbird
Broad-billed Hummingbird: males with brilliant sapphire-blue gorget; metallic green above; red-orange bill; females green above; spots
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
Beautiful Hummingbird
A small hummingbird (9-10 cm) endemic to southwestern Mexico in Guerrero and Oaxaca. Males have a magenta gorget similar to Lucifer Hummingbird. Long, decurved bill. Nectarivore of dry forest and thorn scrub. A Mexican endemic with restricted range.
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.