Green-crowned Brilliant vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Heliodoxa jacula compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Green-crowned Brilliant | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Heliodoxa jacula | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 14.1 cm (5.6 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 7.633333333333333 g (0.27 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Central American and Colombian cloud forest; visits diverse montane flowers. Catches 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
Green-crowned Brilliant
Harsh, crackling buzz with emphatic onset; abrupt rough trill issuing from scrub then stopping sharply.
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
Green-crowned Brilliant
Found in humid foothill and lower montane forest from Costa Rica south through Colombia and Ecuador to Peru. 400–1,600 m.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Green-crowned Brilliant
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Green-crowned 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
Green-crowned Brilliant
A medium-sized hummingbird (12-13 cm) found in humid forests from Guatemala to Ecuador at 400-2,000 m. Males have a brilliant green crown and throat. Nectarivore of forest canopy and edges. Named for its shining, jewel-like green crown.
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.