Long-billed Hermit vs Allen's Hummingbird

Phaethornis longirostris compared with Selasphorus sasin

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Long-billed Hermit Allen's Hummingbird
Scientific Name Phaethornis longirostris Selasphorus sasin
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 12.2 cm (4.8 in) 8.1 cm (3.2 in)
Weight 5.8 g (0.20 oz) 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz)
Diet Nectarivore visiting Heliconia, Costus, and banana flowers along forest understory routes. Takes small insects opportunistically. 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

Long-billed Hermit only

None

Allen's Hummingbird only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Long-billed Hermit

Song

Pure, flute-like descending scale; smooth melodic phrase moving cleanly through successive notes, warm and round in timbre.

Allen's Hummingbird

Song

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

Geographic Range & Migration

Long-billed Hermit

Widespread from southern Mexico through Central America to northwestern Colombia and western Ecuador. Found at 0–1,200 m.

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

Long-billed Hermit

Least Concern

Allen's Hummingbird

About These Birds

Long-billed Hermit

A large hermit hummingbird (15-17 cm) found in humid forests from Mexico to northwestern Colombia. Green plumage with dark face mask, long curved bill, and long, white-tipped tail. Nectarivore of forest undergrowth, an important pollinator of Heliconia flowers.

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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