Colorful Puffleg vs Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Eriocnemis mirabilis compared with Ocreatus addae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Colorful Puffleg | Rufous-booted Racket-tail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eriocnemis mirabilis | Ocreatus addae |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Endangered | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 10.2 cm (4.0 in) | — |
| Weight | 5.06 g (0.18 oz) | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore restricted to Colombian Pacific slope cloud forest; visits Ericaceae and Fuchsia. Supplements with arthropods. | 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
Colorful Puffleg
Thin, wavering whistle with plaintive quality; soft slightly nasal tone trembling gently, poorly known vocally.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Geographic Range & Migration
Colorful Puffleg
Endemic to a tiny area in the western Colombian Andes near the Río Mechengue at 1,400–2,000 m. Critically endangered.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Found in cloud forests of northern Bolivia and adjacent Peru and Brazil at 400–1,400 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Colorful Puffleg
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
How to Tell Them Apart
Colorful Puffleg
Heliodor's Woodstar: tiny; males with brilliant violet gorget; metallic green above; white flanks; females green above; spotted below
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
Colorful Puffleg
A small hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to the western Andes of Colombia at 1,800-2,200 m. Males have iridescent multicolored plumage and white leg puffs. Nectarivore of cloud forest. Classified as Critically Endangered with an extremely restricted range.
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.