Wedge-tailed Hillstar vs Allen's Hummingbird

Oreotrochilus adela compared with Selasphorus sasin

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Wedge-tailed Hillstar Allen's Hummingbird
Scientific Name Oreotrochilus adela Selasphorus sasin
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 13.1 cm (5.2 in) 8.1 cm (3.2 in)
Weight 7.8500000000000005 g (0.28 oz) 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz)
Diet Nectarivore of Andean inter-valley slopes; visits Chuquiraga and scattered shrub flowers. Catches small arthropods. Feeds on nectar from coastal sage scrub and forest flowers in California. Supplements diet with …
Clutch Size -- 2
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Wedge-tailed Hillstar only

None

Allen's Hummingbird only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Wedge-tailed Hillstar

Song

Deep, resonant buzz with powerful carrying; low-frequency churring trill audible at impressive distance across open land.

Allen's Hummingbird

Song

Deep, resonant churring trill; prolonged low buzzing sound carrying well across broad coastal mangroves.

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.

Allen's Hummingbird

Breeds along the Pacific coast from Oregon to southern California. Partial migrant; some Channel Islands populations resident year-round.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Wedge-tailed Hillstar

Least Concern

Allen's Hummingbird

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.

Allen's Hummingbird

A small hummingbird (8-9 cm) breeding along the Pacific coast from Oregon to southern California. Males have an orange-red throat and rufous flanks. Closely related to Rufous Hummingbird. Partial migrant; some populations resident on Channel Islands. Named after Thomas Allen.

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