Needle-billed Hermit vs Allen's Hummingbird
Phaethornis philippii compared with Selasphorus sasin
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Needle-billed Hermit | Allen's Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Phaethornis philippii | Selasphorus sasin |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 11.4 cm (4.5 in) | 8.1 cm (3.2 in) |
| Weight | 4.9 g (0.17 oz) | 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore following trap-lining routes through Heliconia and Costus flowers. Catches small arthropods for protein. | Feeds on nectar from coastal sage scrub and forest flowers in California. Supplements diet with … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Needle-billed Hermit
Soft, whispered twittering with delicate quality; barely audible sequence of minute high notes almost lost in ambient sound.
Allen's Hummingbird
Deep, resonant churring trill; prolonged low buzzing sound carrying well across broad coastal mangroves.
Geographic Range & Migration
Needle-billed Hermit
Found in lowland rainforest of Peru and adjacent Bolivia in the upper Amazon basin. Sea level to 600 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
Needle-billed Hermit
Allen's Hummingbird
About These Birds
Needle-billed Hermit
A medium-sized hermit hummingbird (12-14 cm) found in humid lowland forests from eastern Peru to western Brazil. Green plumage with rufous underparts and an unusually straight, needle-like bill for a hermit. Nectarivore of Amazonian forest undergrowth.
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.