White-tipped Sicklebill vs Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
Eutoxeres aquila compared with Nesophlox lyrura
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | White-tipped Sicklebill | Lyre-tailed Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eutoxeres aquila | Nesophlox lyrura |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 14.1 cm (5.6 in) | 8.0 cm (3.1 in) |
| Weight | 11.366666666666667 g (0.40 oz) | 2.425 g (0.09 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on floral nectar and small invertebrates; males defend nectar-rich territories against other hummingbirds. | Nectarivore probing tubular flowers in humid forest. Supplements nectar diet with small insects and spiders … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
White-tipped Sicklebill
Rapid, sibilant twittering; light, feathery notes cascading quickly with barely perceptible pauses between loose phrases.
Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
Sharp, emphatic chip note with metallic quality; single clean staccato sound repeated at measured intervals.
Geographic Range & Migration
White-tipped Sicklebill
Found in humid forests from Costa Rica south through Panama to western Ecuador. Resident at 200–1,600 m in dense undergrowth with Heliconia.
Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
Endemic to Jamaica. Resident in forests and gardens across the island from lowlands to highlands.
Conservation Status
White-tipped Sicklebill
Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
White-tipped Sicklebill
Dark brown and buff striped underparts; green-bronze upperparts; white-tipped tail feathers; extremely curved sickle-shaped bill; sexes similar; Andean heliconia specialist with diagnostic strongly decurved bill and boldly streaked underparts.
Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
Mexican Woodnymph: males with glittering violet gorget; metallic green above; white flanks; females green above; spotted white below
About These Birds
White-tipped Sicklebill
A medium-sized hummingbird (12-14 cm) with a dramatically decurved bill, adapted for extracting nectar from curved Heliconia flowers. Green plumage with a buff-streaked breast and white-tipped tail. Found in humid forests from Costa Rica to Peru. A specialized pollinator.
Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
A small hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to Jamaica. Males have a deeply forked, lyre-shaped tail. Green plumage. Nectarivore of forest and garden flowers. Recently split from Bahama Woodstar. A Jamaican near-endemic.