Green-tailed Trainbearer vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Lesbia nuna compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Green-tailed Trainbearer | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Lesbia nuna | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 10.3 cm (4.1 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 3.733333333333333 g (0.13 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of montane hedgerows and scrub; forages at diverse shrub flowers. Catches small insects in … | 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
Shared Habitats
None
Green-tailed Trainbearer only
Ruby-throated Hummingbird only
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-tailed Trainbearer
Melodic, rolling phrase with liquid quality; warm bubbly notes tumbling loosely in pleasant continuous musical sequence.
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-tailed Trainbearer
Widespread in open Andean habitats from Colombia south through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. 1,500–4,000 m elevation.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Green-tailed Trainbearer
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Green-tailed Trainbearer
Chiribiqute Emerald: tiny; males with iridescent violet gorget; metallic bronze-green above; white underparts; females green with spots
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-tailed Trainbearer
A medium-sized hummingbird (10 cm body + tail in males) found in Andean highlands from Venezuela to Peru at 2,000-3,800 m. Males have long green tail streamers, shorter than Black-tailed Trainbearer. Nectarivore of scrubby hillsides, gardens, and cloud forest edges.
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.