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
Song & Call Comparison
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Mexican Hermit
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
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Mexican Hermit
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
Mexican Hermit
Fiery-topaz: brilliant iridescent fiery-orange crown disc; violet-blue gorget; metallic green back; females with orange-rufous crown patch
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.