Purple-throated Carib vs Mexican Woodnymph

Eulampis jugularis compared with Eupherusa ridgwayi

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Purple-throated Carib Mexican Woodnymph
Scientific Name Eulampis jugularis Eupherusa ridgwayi
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Vulnerable
Length
Wingspan 14.3 cm (5.6 in)
Weight 9.316666666666666 g (0.33 oz) 3.733333333333333 g (0.13 oz)
Diet Nectarivore of Caribbean island forests; bill adapted to visit Heliconia and Brugmansia. Takes small arthropods … Nectarivore visiting diverse flowering plants; supplements the high-sugar nectar diet with small insects and spiders …
Clutch Size 2 --
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Purple-throated Carib only

None

Mexican Woodnymph only

None

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Song & Call Comparison

Purple-throated Carib

Song

Thin, sibilant twittering with airy quality; light high notes cascading softly in relaxed sequence near flowers.

Mexican Woodnymph

Song

Rapid, light twittering cascade; high airy notes tumbling quickly in animated sequence above flowers.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Purple-throated Carib

Found throughout the Lesser Antilles from Saba to Grenada. Prefers mature forest and flowering trees. Sea level to 800 m.

Mexican Woodnymph

Endemic to the Pacific lowlands of western Mexico from Nayarit to Guerrero. Resident in tropical deciduous forest.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Purple-throated Carib

Vulnerable

Mexican Woodnymph

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How to Tell Them Apart

Purple-throated Carib

Plumage

Turquoise-throated Puffleg: iridescent violet crown; glittering turquoise gorget; metallic green back; white leg puffs; females duller

Mexican Woodnymph

Plumage

Smooth-billed Ani: all black with greenish gloss; large laterally compressed bill with dorsal ridge; long graduated black tail; no crest

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About These Birds

Purple-throated Carib

A medium-sized hummingbird (11-12 cm) endemic to the Lesser Antilles from Saba to St. Vincent. Males have iridescent purple throat and green body. Nectarivore of montane forest and gardens. Larger and more aggressive than Green-throated Carib, dominating flower territories.

Mexican Woodnymph

A medium-sized hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to the Pacific lowlands of western Mexico from Nayarit to Guerrero. Green plumage with rufous belly. Nectarivore of tropical deciduous forest. Named after the American ornithologist Robert Ridgway. A Mexican endemic.

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