Wedge-tailed Hillstar vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Oreotrochilus adela compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Wedge-tailed Hillstar | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Oreotrochilus adela | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 13.1 cm (5.2 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 7.8500000000000005 g (0.28 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of Andean inter-valley slopes; visits Chuquiraga and scattered shrub flowers. Catches small arthropods. | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | -- | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Deciduous and mixed forests, woodland edges, gardens, and parks with flowering plants. Migrates across the Gulf of Mexico.
Song & Call Comparison
Wedge-tailed Hillstar
Deep, resonant buzz with powerful carrying; low-frequency churring trill audible at impressive distance across open land.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Soft, high-pitched chattering and twittering 'chee-dit'. Also produces a thin 'tik' call in flight. Wing beats create an audible high-pitched humming buzz during hovering.
Geographic Range & Migration
Wedge-tailed Hillstar
Endemic to Bolivia and adjacent Peru in high Andean puna and scrub at 2,800–4,400 m elevation.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Wedge-tailed Hillstar
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Wedge-tailed Hillstar
Mexican Sheartail: tiny; males with iridescent purple gorget; metallic green above; white belly; deeply forked tail; females green
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Metallic green upperparts and greyish-white underparts. Males have a brilliant iridescent ruby-red gorget that appears black in poor light. Females lack the gorget.
Long, straight, thin black bill adapted for probing flowers
About These Birds
Wedge-tailed Hillstar
A medium-sized hummingbird (11-12 cm) endemic to the eastern Bolivian Andes at 2,700-4,200 m. Green plumage with a distinctive wedge-shaped tail. Nectarivore of puna scrub and cloud forest edges. A Bolivian near-endemic with a limited range.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only breeding hummingbird in eastern North America. These tiny birds beat their wings about 53 times per second and can fly backwards, sideways, and even briefly upside down. They make an extraordinary non-stop 800 km crossing of the Gulf of Mexico during migration.