Brown Violetear vs Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Colibri delphinae compared with Ocreatus addae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Brown Violetear | Rufous-booted Racket-tail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Colibri delphinae | Ocreatus addae |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 13.6 cm (5.4 in) | — |
| Weight | 6.2 g (0.22 oz) | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore visiting a wide range of forest-edge and garden flowers. Aggressively defends patches of Salvia … | Nectarivore of Bolivian and Peruvian cloud forest; visits Ericaceae and bromeliads. Gleans small insects from … |
| Clutch Size | -- | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Brown Violetear
High, thin twittering barely audible; delicate cascade of minute notes almost imperceptible in dense vegetation.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Geographic Range & Migration
Brown Violetear
Found in humid forest from Guatemala south through Central America to western Ecuador and Bolivia, and across northern South America. 0–1,800 m.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Found in cloud forests of northern Bolivia and adjacent Peru and Brazil at 400–1,400 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Brown Violetear
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
How to Tell Them Apart
Brown Violetear
Long-tailed Sylph: males with spectacularly long violet-streaked iridescent tail; glittering green gorget; females with shorter graduated tail
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
Brown Violetear
A medium-sized hummingbird (11-12 cm) with dull brown plumage, unusual among hummingbirds. Found in humid forests from Guatemala through South America to Bolivia. Named for the violet ear patches visible in good light. Nectarivore of forest canopy and edges. Nomadic.
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.