Rufous-booted Racket-tail vs Mexican Hermit

Ocreatus addae compared with Phaethornis mexicanus

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Rufous-booted Racket-tail Mexican Hermit
Scientific Name Ocreatus addae Phaethornis mexicanus
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Not Evaluated Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 13.4 cm (5.3 in)
Weight 3.0 g (0.11 oz) 4.5 g (0.16 oz)
Diet Nectarivore of Bolivian and Peruvian cloud forest; visits Ericaceae and bromeliads. Gleans small insects from … Nectarivore adapted to curved corolla flowers via trap-lining. Supplements nectar with small spiders caught near …
Clutch Size 2 2
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Rufous-booted Racket-tail only

None

Mexican Hermit only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Rufous-booted Racket-tail

Song

Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.

Mexican Hermit

Song

Rapid, buzzy trill rising in pitch; ascending cascade of rough notes gaining speed and urgency before abrupt stop.

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.

Mexican Hermit

Endemic to northwestern Mexico in Sinaloa, Jalisco, and Nayarit in dry tropical forest. Sea level to 1,200 m elevation.

Conservation Status

Not Evaluated

Rufous-booted Racket-tail

Least Concern

Mexican Hermit

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.

Mexican Hermit

A medium-sized hermit hummingbird (13-14 cm) endemic to the Pacific slope of western Mexico from Nayarit to Oaxaca. Green plumage with buff underparts and long, white-tipped tail. Nectarivore of tropical dry and humid forests. Recently split from Long-billed Hermit.

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