Festive Coquette vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Lophornis chalybeus compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Festive Coquette | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Lophornis chalybeus | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 8.4 cm (3.3 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Venezuela forest edges. Forages at small flowers; catches tiny insects with precise hovering … | 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
Festive Coquette
Melodic, three-note descending phrase; clear warm tones stepping gracefully downward, repeated regularly from tall perch.
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
Festive Coquette
Found in humid lowland and foothill forest from southern Venezuela through the Guianas and Amazonian Brazil. 0–800 m.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Festive Coquette
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Festive Coquette
Short-tailed Woodstar: males with glittering violet gorget; metallic green above; white underparts; tiny; females green above 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
Festive Coquette
A tiny hummingbird (7-8 cm) found in the Atlantic Forest and cerrado of eastern and central South America. Males have green crest and bronze-green cheek plumes. Nectarivore of forest edges, gardens, and cerrado. Relatively common in southeastern Brazil.
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.