Rufous-booted Racket-tail vs Black-breasted Hillstar
Ocreatus addae compared with Oreotrochilus melanogaster
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-booted Racket-tail | Black-breasted Hillstar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ocreatus addae | Oreotrochilus melanogaster |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | — | 14.4 cm (5.7 in) |
| Weight | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) | 7.75 g (0.27 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Bolivian and Peruvian cloud forest; visits Ericaceae and bromeliads. Gleans small insects from … | Nectarivore of Bolivian altiplano; forages at Ericaceae and Chuquiraga in arid puna. Takes small insects … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
None
Rufous-booted Racket-tail only
Black-breasted Hillstar only
Song & Call Comparison
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Black-breasted Hillstar
Rapid, light chips in animated sequence; bright staccato notes with bouncy quality during active territorial display.
Geographic Range & Migration
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Found in cloud forests of northern Bolivia and adjacent Peru and Brazil at 400–1,400 m elevation.
Black-breasted Hillstar
Endemic to central and southern Peru in the Andes in puna grassland and scrub at 3,500–4,800 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Black-breasted Hillstar
How to Tell Them Apart
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Golden-bellied Starfrontlet: tiny; males with brilliant orange-gold belly; violet gorget; females green above; spotted buff below
Black-breasted Hillstar
Peruvian Sheartail: males with glittering rose-red gorget; metallic green back; white underparts; females green above; pale spotted below
About These Birds
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
A small hummingbird (8-10 cm plus tail rackets) found in Andean cloud forests of southeastern Peru and Bolivia at 1,200-2,200 m. Males have rufous leg puffs instead of white. Recently split from Booted Racket-tail. Nectarivore of montane forest undergrowth.
Black-breasted Hillstar
A medium-sized hummingbird (12-13 cm) found in the Andes of central Peru at 3,000-4,500 m. Males have a black breast contrasting with green upperparts and white belly. Nectarivore of puna grasslands and rocky slopes. An endemic of Peru's central Andean highlands.