Short-tailed Emerald vs Allen's Hummingbird

Chlorostilbon poortmani compared with Selasphorus sasin

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Short-tailed Emerald Allen's Hummingbird
Scientific Name Chlorostilbon poortmani Selasphorus sasin
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length — —
Wingspan 8.2 cm (3.2 in) 8.1 cm (3.2 in)
Weight 3.5 g (0.12 oz) 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz)
Diet Feeds on nectar from scrub and forest-edge flowers in Colombia and Venezuela. Supplements with small … Feeds on nectar from coastal sage scrub and forest flowers in California. Supplements diet with …
Clutch Size 2 2
Population Trend — —

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Short-tailed Emerald only

None

Allen's Hummingbird only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Short-tailed Emerald

Song

Thin, reedy chip note with soft delivery; barely audible single staccato sound given from dense cover.

Allen's Hummingbird

Song

Deep, resonant churring trill; prolonged low buzzing sound carrying well across broad coastal mangroves.

Geographic Range & Migration

Short-tailed Emerald

Found in Andean cloud forests from Colombia to Venezuela at 1,500-2,800 m elevation. Resident in montane forest.

Allen's Hummingbird

Breeds along the Pacific coast from Oregon to southern California. Partial migrant; some Channel Islands populations resident year-round.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Short-tailed Emerald

Least Concern

Allen's Hummingbird

About These Birds

Short-tailed Emerald

A small hummingbird (7-8 cm) found in Andean cloud forests from Colombia to Venezuela at 1,500-2,800 m. Green plumage with a notably short tail. Nectarivore of montane forest undergrowth and edges. Named for its unusually short tail for an emerald.

Allen's Hummingbird

A small hummingbird (8-9 cm) breeding along the Pacific coast from Oregon to southern California. Males have an orange-red throat and rufous flanks. Closely related to Rufous Hummingbird. Partial migrant; some populations resident on Channel Islands. Named after Thomas Allen.

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