Reddish Hermit vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Phaethornis ruber compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Reddish Hermit | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Phaethornis ruber | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 6.6 cm (2.6 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 2.4 g (0.08 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of dense undergrowth flowers. Regularly hawks small flying insects and gleans spiders to meet … | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 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
Reddish Hermit
Thin, reedy whistle with slightly nasal quality; soft sustained note barely wavering, issued from dense shrub cover.
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
Reddish Hermit
Widespread in humid lowland forests from the Guianas south through Amazonian Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Found at 0–900 m.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Reddish Hermit
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Reddish Hermit
White-whiskered Hermit: pale cinnamon-buff below; olive-brown above; white supercilium and malar stripe; elongated white-tipped tail feathers
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
Reddish Hermit
A tiny hermit hummingbird (7-8 cm) found in humid forests from the Guianas through Amazonia to Brazil and Bolivia. Rufous-brown plumage overall with a curved bill. Nectarivore of dense forest undergrowth. Visits tiny flowers near the forest floor. One of the smallest hermits.
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.