Purple-collared Woodstar vs Allen's Hummingbird

Myrtis fanny compared with Selasphorus sasin

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Purple-collared Woodstar Allen's Hummingbird
Scientific Name Myrtis fanny Selasphorus sasin
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length — —
Wingspan 7.9 cm (3.1 in) 8.1 cm (3.2 in)
Weight 2.4 g (0.08 oz) 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz)
Diet Nectarivore of Andean foothills and inter-valley scrub; visits small tubular flowers. Supplements with tiny arthropods. Feeds on nectar from coastal sage scrub and forest flowers in California. Supplements diet with …
Clutch Size 2 2
Population Trend — —

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Purple-collared Woodstar only

Allen's Hummingbird only

Song & Call Comparison

Purple-collared Woodstar

Song

Harsh, grating buzz with mechanical quality; abrupt dry trill issued suddenly then stopping in sharp silence.

Allen's Hummingbird

Song

Deep, resonant churring trill; prolonged low buzzing sound carrying well across broad coastal mangroves.

Geographic Range & Migration

Purple-collared Woodstar

Found in open habitats, gardens, and scrub from southern Ecuador south through Peru to northwestern Chile. Sea level to 3,000 m.

Allen's Hummingbird

Breeds along the Pacific coast from Oregon to southern California. Partial migrant; some Channel Islands populations resident year-round.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Purple-collared Woodstar

Least Concern

Allen's Hummingbird

About These Birds

Purple-collared Woodstar

A tiny hummingbird (8-9 cm) found in arid western Peru and southwestern Ecuador at sea level to 2,500 m. Males have a purple collar. Nectarivore of desert scrub, gardens, and river valleys. Adapted to extremely arid coastal environments.

Allen's Hummingbird

A small hummingbird (8-9 cm) breeding along the Pacific coast from Oregon to southern California. Males have an orange-red throat and rufous flanks. Closely related to Rufous Hummingbird. Partial migrant; some populations resident on Channel Islands. Named after Thomas Allen.

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