Blue-throated Goldentail vs Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Chlorestes eliciae compared with Ocreatus addae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Blue-throated Goldentail | Rufous-booted Racket-tail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Chlorestes eliciae | Ocreatus addae |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | — | — |
| Weight | 3.66 g (0.13 oz) | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore visiting diverse flowering plants; supplements the high-sugar nectar diet with small insects and spiders … | 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
Blue-throated Goldentail
Harsh, nasal chatter with emphatic rhythm; rough buzzy notes delivered rapidly with coarse raw texture.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Geographic Range & Migration
Blue-throated Goldentail
Found in humid forests from Mexico to Panama. Resident in lowland and foothill forest edges and clearings.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Found in cloud forests of northern Bolivia and adjacent Peru and Brazil at 400–1,400 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Blue-throated Goldentail
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
How to Tell Them Apart
Blue-throated Goldentail
Running Coua: pale gray-white below; brown-olive above; blue orbital ring; long graduated tail; ground-dwelling endemic Madagascar
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
Blue-throated Goldentail
A small hummingbird (8-9 cm) found in humid forests from Mexico to Panama. Green plumage with blue throat and golden tail. Nectarivore of forest edges and clearings. Named goldentail for the glittering golden-bronze tail.
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.