Violet-headed Hummingbird vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Klais guimeti compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Violet-headed Hummingbird | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Klais guimeti | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 9.7 cm (3.8 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 2.775 g (0.10 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on nectar from lowland and foothill flowers in humid Central and South America. Supplements … | 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
Violet-headed Hummingbird
Harsh, emphatic screech with forceful projection; loud rough call carrying across open terrain assertively.
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
Violet-headed Hummingbird
Found in humid forests from Honduras to Bolivia at 400-1,500 m elevation. Resident in lowland and foothill forests.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Violet-headed Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Violet-headed Hummingbird
Purple-crested Turaco: brilliant iridescent violet-purple crest; glossy green mantle; crimson flight feathers; red orbital ring; dark bill
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
Violet-headed Hummingbird
A small hummingbird (8 cm) found in humid forests from Honduras to Bolivia at 400-1,500 m. Males have an iridescent violet-blue head. Green body. Nectarivore of forest edges and gaps. Named after the French ornithologist Jules Bourcier, who described it as Guimet's specimen.
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.