Blue-throated Goldentail vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Chlorestes eliciae compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Blue-throated Goldentail | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Chlorestes eliciae | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | — | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 3.66 g (0.13 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore visiting diverse flowering plants; supplements the high-sugar nectar diet with small 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
Blue-throated Goldentail
Harsh, nasal chatter with emphatic rhythm; rough buzzy notes delivered rapidly with coarse raw texture.
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
Blue-throated Goldentail
Found in humid forests from Mexico to Panama. Resident in lowland and foothill forest edges and clearings.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Blue-throated Goldentail
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
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
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
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.
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.