Tepui Goldenthroat vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Polytmus milleri compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Tepui Goldenthroat | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Polytmus milleri | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 12.8 cm (5.0 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 4.76 g (0.17 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore visiting tepui shrub flowers and lowland grasses. Supplements nectar with small arthropods gleaned from … | 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
Tepui Goldenthroat
Pure, bell-like tone with long resonance; single clear note ringing out then slowly fading in open woodland.
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
Tepui Goldenthroat
Found on tepui plateaus of Venezuela and adjacent Guyana and Brazil in open highland vegetation. 1,200–2,800 m.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Tepui Goldenthroat
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Tepui Goldenthroat
Rufous-throated Sapphire: males with shining rufous throat; bronze-green back; white pectoral tufts; females green above with rufous throat
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
Tepui Goldenthroat
A medium-sized hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to the tepui highlands of southern Venezuela and adjacent Guyana. Green plumage with a golden throat. Nectarivore of tepui scrub and forest edges. Restricted to the Pantepui region above 1,000 m. Poorly known.
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.