Purple-chested Hummingbird vs Allen's Hummingbird

Polyerata rosenbergi compared with Selasphorus sasin

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Purple-chested Hummingbird Allen's Hummingbird
Scientific Name Polyerata rosenbergi Selasphorus sasin
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 8.1 cm (3.2 in)
Weight 3.8 g (0.13 oz) 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz)
Diet Nectarivore probing tubular flowers in humid forest. Supplements nectar diet with small insects and spiders … 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

Purple-chested Hummingbird only

None

Allen's Hummingbird only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Purple-chested Hummingbird

Song

Soft, pure whistle with warm timbre; gentle sustained note barely wavering, given quietly from forest perch.

Allen's Hummingbird

Song

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

Geographic Range & Migration

Purple-chested Hummingbird

Found in humid Pacific lowland forests from eastern Panama to western Ecuador. Resident in Chocó forest.

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

Purple-chested Hummingbird

Least Concern

Allen's Hummingbird

About These Birds

Purple-chested Hummingbird

A small hummingbird (8-9 cm) found in humid Pacific lowland forests from eastern Panama to western Ecuador. Males have a rich purple breast patch. Nectarivore of Chocó forest edges. Named after the German zoologist William Rosenberg.

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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