Coppery Thorntail vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Discosura letitiae compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Coppery Thorntail | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Discosura letitiae | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Data Deficient | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 7.5 cm (3.0 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 2.8 g (0.10 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore with elongated tail foraging at high canopy blooms. Catches small insects near flowering trees. | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | -- | 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
Coppery Thorntail
Soft, high peep followed by short buzzy trill; quiet introductory note launching into brief rough continuation.
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
Coppery Thorntail
Known only from Bolivia; restricted range in humid lowland forest of the Beni region. 150–500 m elevation.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Coppery Thorntail
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
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
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
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.
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.