Gould's Brilliant vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Heliodoxa aurescens compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Gould's Brilliant | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Heliodoxa aurescens | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 12.2 cm (4.8 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 5.975 g (0.21 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forest; aggressively defends Ericaceae patches. Takes small insects for … | 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
Gould's Brilliant
Soft, pure whistle with tremulous quality; gentle wavering note given quietly from shaded perch in dense thicket.
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
Gould's Brilliant
Found in Amazonian lowland forest from Colombia and Venezuela south through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia to Brazil. 0–1,000 m.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Gould's Brilliant
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Gould's Brilliant
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
Gould's Brilliant
A medium-sized hummingbird (12-13 cm) found in humid lowland forests from eastern Colombia through the Guianas to Bolivia and Brazil. Green plumage with iridescent golden-green breast. Nectarivore of Amazonian forest canopy and edges. Named after John Gould.
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.