Lyre-tailed Hummingbird vs Purple-backed Thornbill
Nesophlox lyrura compared with Ramphomicron microrhynchum
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Lyre-tailed Hummingbird | Purple-backed Thornbill |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Nesophlox lyrura | Ramphomicron microrhynchum |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 8.0 cm (3.1 in) | 10.2 cm (4.0 in) |
| Weight | 2.425 g (0.09 oz) | 3.3 g (0.12 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore probing tubular flowers in humid forest. Supplements nectar diet with small insects and spiders … | Nectarivore foraging at mossy treeline vegetation and compact Ericaceae blooms. Supplements with small insects. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
Sharp, emphatic chip note with metallic quality; single clean staccato sound repeated at measured intervals.
Purple-backed Thornbill
Bright, cheerful twittering with bubbling quality; light rapid notes cascading freely in animated display near flowers.
Geographic Range & Migration
Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
Endemic to Jamaica. Resident in forests and gardens across the island from lowlands to highlands.
Purple-backed Thornbill
Widespread in high Andean habitats from Venezuela south through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. 2,000–4,400 m.
Conservation Status
Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
Purple-backed Thornbill
How to Tell Them Apart
Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
Mexican Woodnymph: males with glittering violet gorget; metallic green above; white flanks; females green above; spotted white below
Purple-backed Thornbill
Steely-vented Hummingbird: males with iridescent ruby-red gorget; metallic green above; white postocular stripe; blue-steel tail
About These Birds
Lyre-tailed Hummingbird
A small hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to Jamaica. Males have a deeply forked, lyre-shaped tail. Green plumage. Nectarivore of forest and garden flowers. Recently split from Bahama Woodstar. A Jamaican near-endemic.
Purple-backed Thornbill
A tiny hummingbird (8-9 cm) found in Andean cloud forests from Venezuela to Bolivia at 2,000-3,800 m. Males have iridescent purple back. Tiny, short bill. Nectarivore of high-elevation flowering shrubs. One of the smallest hummingbirds in the Andes.