Rufous-booted Racket-tail vs Purple-backed Thornbill
Ocreatus addae compared with Ramphomicron microrhynchum
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-booted Racket-tail | Purple-backed Thornbill |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ocreatus addae | Ramphomicron microrhynchum |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | — | 10.2 cm (4.0 in) |
| Weight | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) | 3.3 g (0.12 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Bolivian and Peruvian cloud forest; visits Ericaceae and bromeliads. Gleans small insects from … | Nectarivore foraging at mossy treeline vegetation and compact Ericaceae blooms. Supplements with small insects. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Rufous-booted Racket-tail only
None
Purple-backed Thornbill only
Song & Call Comparison
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Purple-backed Thornbill
Bright, cheerful twittering with bubbling quality; light rapid notes cascading freely in animated display near flowers.
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.
Purple-backed Thornbill
Widespread in high Andean habitats from Venezuela south through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. 2,000–4,400 m.
Conservation Status
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Purple-backed Thornbill
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
Purple-backed Thornbill
Steely-vented Hummingbird: males with iridescent ruby-red gorget; metallic green above; white postocular stripe; blue-steel tail
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.
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.