Streak-throated Hermit vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Phaethornis rupurumii compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Streak-throated Hermit | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Phaethornis rupurumii | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 8.6 cm (3.4 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore and insectivore; extracts nectar from trap-lining flowers and hawks small flying insects in forest … | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | -- | 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
Streak-throated Hermit
High, thin peep barely audible beyond few metres; delicate single note repeated softly with long intervals in between.
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
Streak-throated Hermit
Found in the Guiana Shield from Venezuela and Guyana south through Amazonia to Bolivia. Resident in lowland forest along streams and rivers.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Streak-throated Hermit
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Streak-throated Hermit
Tiny; green-bronze upperparts; buff underparts with fine dark streaking on throat; pale supercilium; white-tipped central tail feathers; Guiana Shield species; streaked throat pattern distinguishes from other small hermits.
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
Streak-throated Hermit
A small hermit hummingbird (10-11 cm) found in humid forests and forest edges of the Guiana Shield and southern Venezuela. Green plumage with streak-patterned throat and rufous underparts. Nectarivore of forest undergrowth. Often confused with Little Hermit in the field.
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.