Brown Inca vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Coeligena wilsoni compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Brown Inca | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Coeligena wilsoni | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 14.3 cm (5.6 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 6.88 g (0.24 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Colombian and Ecuadorian cloud forest; defends Ericaceae territories. Supplements with small arthropods. | 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
Brown Inca
Bright, musical rolling trill; cheerful bubbly notes cascading pleasantly from flowering shrub in Andean valley.
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
Brown Inca
Found on the Pacific slope and western Andes of Colombia and Ecuador at 700–2,000 m. Fairly common.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Brown Inca
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Brown Inca
Turquoise-mantled Puffleg: males with iridescent turquoise mantle; metallic green above; white leg puffs; 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
Brown Inca
A medium-sized hummingbird (13-14 cm) found in cloud forests of the western Andes from Colombia to Ecuador at 800-2,200 m. Dark brown plumage with rufous wing patches. Nectarivore of Chocó cloud forest undergrowth. Closely related to Bronzy Inca.
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.