White-tailed Sabrewing vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Campylopterus ensipennis compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | White-tailed Sabrewing | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Campylopterus ensipennis | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Near Threatened | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 15.2 cm (6.0 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 9.866666666666667 g (0.35 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on nectar from highland forest flowers in Venezuela. Supplements diet with insects and spiders … | 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
White-tailed Sabrewing
Rough, buzzy chatter with energetic rhythm; coarse notes delivered rapidly with raw buzzy texture from perch.
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
White-tailed Sabrewing
Found in northeastern Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. Resident in humid forest undergrowth.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
White-tailed Sabrewing
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
White-tailed Sabrewing
Ross's Turaco: brilliant purple-blue body with yellow facial skin and bill; crimson flight feathers; long graduated tail; unique colors
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
White-tailed Sabrewing
A large hummingbird (12-13 cm) found in humid forests of northeastern Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. Green plumage with white outer tail feathers. Nectarivore of forest undergrowth. Classified as Near Threatened in Venezuela; common on Trinidad and Tobago.
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.