Black-throated Brilliant vs Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Heliodoxa schreibersii compared with Ocreatus addae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black-throated Brilliant | Rufous-booted Racket-tail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Heliodoxa schreibersii | Ocreatus addae |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 13.9 cm (5.5 in) | — |
| Weight | 8.5 g (0.30 oz) | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Amazonian foothill forest; visits large-flowered shrubs and epiphytes. Supplements with small arthropods. | 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
Black-throated Brilliant
Buzzy, sustained trill with insect-like monotony; continuous low vibration with minimal variation throughout delivery.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black-throated Brilliant
Found in lowland and foothill humid forest from Colombia south through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. 0–1,400 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
Black-throated Brilliant
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
How to Tell Them Apart
Black-throated Brilliant
Giant Hummingbird (alt): males with iridescent blue gorget; metallic green; very large; white rump; females plain green; spots
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Golden-bellied Starfrontlet: tiny; males with brilliant orange-gold belly; violet gorget; females green above; spotted buff below
About These Birds
Black-throated Brilliant
A medium-sized hummingbird (11-12 cm) found in humid forests from eastern Colombia through Ecuador and Peru at 300-1,500 m. Males have a black throat patch with green glitter. Nectarivore of foothill forest. Named after the Austrian naturalist Carl von Schreibers.
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.