Long-tailed Hermit vs Allen's Hummingbird
Phaethornis superciliosus compared with Selasphorus sasin
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Long-tailed Hermit | Allen's Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Phaethornis superciliosus | Selasphorus sasin |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 11.7 cm (4.6 in) | 8.1 cm (3.2 in) |
| Weight | 5.15 g (0.18 oz) | 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore of dense undergrowth flowers. Regularly hawks small flying insects and gleans spiders to meet … | 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
Long-tailed Hermit
Thin, sibilant hissing trill; continuous soft buzz with slight pulsing quality, issued during slow hovering near blossoms.
Allen's Hummingbird
Deep, resonant churring trill; prolonged low buzzing sound carrying well across broad coastal mangroves.
Geographic Range & Migration
Long-tailed Hermit
Found in lowland humid forest from Colombia and Venezuela east through the Guianas and south through Amazonian Brazil. 0–700 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
Long-tailed Hermit
Allen's Hummingbird
About These Birds
Long-tailed Hermit
A large hermit hummingbird (15-17 cm) found in humid lowland forests from Venezuela through the Guianas to northern Brazil. Green plumage with long, curved bill and very long, white-tipped central tail feathers. Nectarivore of forest undergrowth. Males gather in singing leks.
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.