Empress Brilliant vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Heliodoxa imperatrix compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Empress Brilliant | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Heliodoxa imperatrix | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 14.6 cm (5.7 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 8.8 g (0.31 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Colombian Pacific slope cloud forest; forages at Ericaceae and Heliconia. Supplements with small … | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 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
Empress Brilliant
High, crystalline series of musical notes; clear bright sequence ascending smoothly in characteristically cheerful manner.
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
Empress Brilliant
Found on the Pacific slope of Colombia and Ecuador in humid lowland and foothill forest. Sea level to 1,200 m.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Empress Brilliant
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Empress Brilliant
Purple-collared Woodstar (alt): tiny; males with brilliant blue-violet gorget; metallic green above; females plain; pale spotted below
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
Empress Brilliant
A large hummingbird (13-14 cm) found in humid forests of western Colombia and Ecuador at 400-1,600 m. Males have an iridescent green crown and violet-blue throat. Nectarivore of Chocó forest. Named Empress for the regal appearance. Classified as Near Threatened.
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.