Coppery Thorntail vs Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Discosura letitiae compared with Ocreatus addae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Coppery Thorntail | Rufous-booted Racket-tail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Discosura letitiae | Ocreatus addae |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Data Deficient | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 7.5 cm (3.0 in) | — |
| Weight | 2.8 g (0.10 oz) | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore with elongated tail foraging at high canopy blooms. Catches small insects near flowering trees. | 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
Coppery Thorntail
Soft, high peep followed by short buzzy trill; quiet introductory note launching into brief rough continuation.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Geographic Range & Migration
Coppery Thorntail
Known only from Bolivia; restricted range in humid lowland forest of the Beni region. 150–500 m elevation.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Found in cloud forests of northern Bolivia and adjacent Peru and Brazil at 400–1,400 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Coppery Thorntail
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
How to Tell Them Apart
Coppery Thorntail
Rufous Puffleg: males shining bronze-green; iridescent teal gorget; white underparts; large rufous leg puffs; females duller with spots
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
Coppery Thorntail
A tiny hummingbird (7-8 cm) known from very few specimens collected in Bolivia. Coppery plumage. Almost nothing known about its ecology or current status. One of the most mysterious hummingbirds; possibly rare, possibly overlooked. Further fieldwork needed.
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.