White-tailed Hummingbird vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eupherusa poliocerca compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | White-tailed Hummingbird | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eupherusa poliocerca | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Near Threatened | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 12.1 cm (4.8 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 4.625 g (0.16 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on nectar from flowering shrubs and epiphytes. Catches small insects and spiders to meet … | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 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
White-tailed Hummingbird
Harsh, buzzy chatter with emphatic rhythm; coarse rough notes delivered rapidly with raw buzzy texture.
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
White-tailed Hummingbird
Endemic to the Sierra Madre del Sur of Guerrero and Oaxaca, Mexico. Classified as Vulnerable due to restricted range.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
White-tailed Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
White-tailed Hummingbird
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
White-tailed Hummingbird
A medium-sized hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to the Sierra Madre del Sur of Guerrero and Oaxaca, southwestern Mexico. Green plumage with white outer tail feathers. Nectarivore of montane forest. Classified as Vulnerable due to restricted range.
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.