Buff-tailed Sicklebill vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eutoxeres condamini compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Buff-tailed Sicklebill | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Eutoxeres condamini | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 13.7 cm (5.4 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 9.98 g (0.35 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectar and arthropod feeder; hovers to extract nectar from pendant flowers and snatches small insects … | 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
Buff-tailed Sicklebill
Sharp, scratchy chip note repeated rapidly; dry staccato delivery with rough texture, audible during competitive interactions.
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
Buff-tailed Sicklebill
Found in the eastern Andes from Colombia and Ecuador south to Bolivia at 400–1,500 m. Resident in forest undergrowth at Heliconia flowers.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Buff-tailed Sicklebill
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Buff-tailed Sicklebill
Green-bronze upperparts; buff and dark brown heavily streaked underparts; buff-tipped tail feathers; strongly sickle-shaped curved bill; sexes similar; buff tail tips distinguish from White-tipped Sicklebill; Andean foothills specialist.
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
Buff-tailed Sicklebill
A medium-sized hummingbird (12-14 cm) with a strongly decurved bill for feeding on curved tropical flowers. Green plumage with a buff-tipped tail. Found in Andean foothill forests from Colombia to Bolivia. A specialized nectarivore of Heliconia and related plants.
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.