Green-tailed Goldenthroat vs Allen's Hummingbird

Polytmus theresiae compared with Selasphorus sasin

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Green-tailed Goldenthroat Allen's Hummingbird
Scientific Name Polytmus theresiae Selasphorus sasin
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 11.3 cm (4.4 in) 8.1 cm (3.2 in)
Weight 3.575 g (0.13 oz) 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz)
Diet Nectarivore of open wetland margins and savanna; forages at diverse flower types. Takes tiny flies … 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

Green-tailed Goldenthroat only

None

Allen's Hummingbird only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Green-tailed Goldenthroat

Song

Rough, grating buzz with coarse texture; sustained low-pitched trill with vibrating quality audible over some distance.

Allen's Hummingbird

Song

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

Geographic Range & Migration

Green-tailed Goldenthroat

Found in open savanna and forest edges of the Guianas and Amazonian Venezuela and Brazil. Sea level to 600 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

Least Concern

Green-tailed Goldenthroat

Least Concern

Allen's Hummingbird

About These Birds

Green-tailed Goldenthroat

A medium-sized hummingbird (10-11 cm) found in humid lowland forests and edges from the Guianas through Amazonia to Bolivia and Brazil. Green plumage with a golden-green throat and greenish tail. Nectarivore of forest edges and clearings.

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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