Grey-tailed Mountain-gem vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Lampornis cinereicauda compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Grey-tailed Mountain-gem | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Lampornis cinereicauda | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 12.4 cm (4.9 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 5.425 g (0.19 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Costa Rican and Panamanian cloud forest; forages at Ericaceae and Salvia. Gleans small … | 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
Grey-tailed Mountain-gem
Sharp, crackling chatter with percussive quality; rapid dry notes delivered forcefully near active territory boundary.
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
Grey-tailed Mountain-gem
Found in highland forest of Costa Rica, primarily the Pacific slope Talamanca range. 1,200–2,400 m.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Grey-tailed Mountain-gem
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Grey-tailed Mountain-gem
Rufous-breasted Sabrewing: males glittering blue-violet gorget; metallic green; rufous breast patch; females green above; spotted
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
Grey-tailed Mountain-gem
A medium-sized hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to the Talamanca highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama at 1,400-2,500 m. Males have green plumage with a grey tail. Nectarivore of cloud forest. Closely related to Purple-throated Mountain-gem.
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.