Scaly-breasted Sabrewing vs Allen's Hummingbird

Phaeochroa cuvierii compared with Selasphorus sasin

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Scaly-breasted Sabrewing Allen's Hummingbird
Scientific Name Phaeochroa cuvierii Selasphorus sasin
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 8.1 cm (3.2 in)
Weight 8.959999999999999 g (0.32 oz) 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz)
Diet Visits flowering trees and epiphytes for nectar; supplements diet with small arthropods including gnats, midges, … Feeds on nectar from coastal sage scrub and forest flowers in California. Supplements diet with …
Clutch Size 2 2
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Scaly-breasted Sabrewing only

Allen's Hummingbird only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Scaly-breasted Sabrewing

Song

Sharp, emphatic chip note with bright projection; single clean staccato sound repeated persistently near territory.

Allen's Hummingbird

Song

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

Geographic Range & Migration

Scaly-breasted Sabrewing

Found in humid forests from Guatemala to Colombia and Venezuela. Resident in lowland forest undergrowth and edges.

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

Scaly-breasted Sabrewing

Least Concern

Allen's Hummingbird

About These Birds

Scaly-breasted Sabrewing

A large hummingbird (12-13 cm) found in humid forests from Guatemala to Colombia and Venezuela. Green plumage with a scaly breast pattern. Large bill. Nectarivore of forest undergrowth and edges, visiting banana flowers. The only member of its genus.

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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