Horned Sungem vs Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Heliactin bilophus compared with Ocreatus addae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Horned Sungem | Rufous-booted Racket-tail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Heliactin bilophus | Ocreatus addae |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 9.6 cm (3.8 in) | — |
| Weight | 2.3 g (0.08 oz) | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of open savanna and cerrado, visiting small flowers of grasses and shrubs. Catches tiny … | Nectarivore of Bolivian and Peruvian cloud forest; visits Ericaceae and bromeliads. Gleans small insects from … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Horned Sungem
Melodic, rolling phrase with rich timbre; warm, musical notes tumbling loosely in pleasant sequence at midday.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Geographic Range & Migration
Horned Sungem
Found in cerrado, caatinga, and dry open habitats across central Brazil from Maranhão to Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso. 300–1,100 m.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Found in cloud forests of northern Bolivia and adjacent Peru and Brazil at 400–1,400 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Horned Sungem
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
About These Birds
Horned Sungem
A spectacular small hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to the cerrado of central Brazil. Males have two erect, horn-like iridescent violet-blue feather tufts projecting from the sides of the head. Green and white plumage. Nectarivore of cerrado flowers. The only member of its genus.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
A small hummingbird (8-10 cm plus tail rackets) found in Andean cloud forests of southeastern Peru and Bolivia at 1,200-2,200 m. Males have rufous leg puffs instead of white. Recently split from Booted Racket-tail. Nectarivore of montane forest undergrowth.