Rufous-booted Racket-tail vs Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Ocreatus addae compared with Threnetes leucurus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-booted Racket-tail | Pale-tailed Barbthroat |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ocreatus addae | Threnetes leucurus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | — | 11.5 cm (4.5 in) |
| Weight | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) | 5.42 g (0.19 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Bolivian and Peruvian cloud forest; visits Ericaceae and bromeliads. Gleans small insects from … | Primarily nectarivore; uses its strongly hooked bill to probe for nectar in curved flowers; eats … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Rufous-booted Racket-tail only
None
Pale-tailed Barbthroat only
Song & Call Comparison
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Rapid, buzzing trill with insect-like quality; sustained high-frequency vibration followed by softer descending notes.
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.
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Found in the Amazon basin and Guiana Shield from Venezuela and the Guianas south to Peru and Bolivia. Resident in humid forest interior.
Conservation Status
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
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
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Bronze-green upperparts; pale greyish-buff underparts; dark malar stripe; tail pale buff-white with dark subterminal band; lacks the strong black banding of Band-tailed Barbthroat; Amazonian species with paler tail pattern.
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.
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
A medium-sized hummingbird (10-12 cm) found in humid lowland forests of northern South America and Trinidad. Green plumage with white-tipped tail feathers and a decurved bill. Nectarivore of forest undergrowth, visiting Heliconia and Costus flowers. An important lowland forest pollinator.