Bronzy Hermit vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Glaucis aeneus compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Bronzy Hermit | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Glaucis aeneus | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 10.5 cm (4.1 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 4.6499999999999995 g (0.16 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on floral nectar along a regular trap-line route; also picks small spiders and 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
Bronzy Hermit
Deep, rumbling chatter with hollow resonance; low-pitched bursts of notes carrying surprising volume for small forest bird.
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
Bronzy Hermit
Found from Costa Rica through Panama to western Colombia and Ecuador. Resident in lowland Pacific rainforest and shaded plantations below 600 m.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Bronzy Hermit
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Bronzy Hermit
Tiny; bronze-green upperparts with golden-bronze gloss on back; cinnamon-buff underparts; pale supercilium; rufous tail with dark subterminal band; pale bill tip; Central American species with overall bronzy olive sheen on …
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
Bronzy Hermit
A small hummingbird (10-11 cm) found in humid lowland forests from Honduras to Colombia. Bronzy-green plumage with rufous underparts. Visits Heliconia flowers with its curved bill. Nectarivore of forest undergrowth. An important pollinator of Neotropical forest 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.