Saw-billed Hermit vs Allen's Hummingbird

Ramphodon naevius compared with Selasphorus sasin

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Saw-billed Hermit Allen's Hummingbird
Scientific Name Ramphodon naevius Selasphorus sasin
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 14.3 cm (5.6 in) 8.1 cm (3.2 in)
Weight 7.15 g (0.25 oz) 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz)
Diet Primarily nectarivore; bill curvature matches specific flowers; supplements diet by hawking tiny insects. 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

Saw-billed Hermit only

None

Allen's Hummingbird only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Saw-billed Hermit

Song

Bright, musical trill with cheerful bubbly quality; quick rolling notes cascading pleasantly from dense flowering vegetation.

Allen's Hummingbird

Song

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

Geographic Range & Migration

Saw-billed Hermit

Endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil from Bahia to Santa Catarina. Resident in humid forest up to 1,200 m. Near Threatened.

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

Saw-billed Hermit

Least Concern

Allen's Hummingbird

How to Tell Them Apart

Saw-billed Hermit

Plumage

Bronze-green upperparts; underparts rufous-buff with dark brown streaking; broad pale supercilium; rufous-buff tail tipped dark; serrated edge to bill visible at close range; Brazilian Atlantic forest endemic; boldly streaked underparts.

Allen's Hummingbird

About These Birds

Saw-billed Hermit

A large hummingbird (14-16 cm) endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. Distinguished by its serrated, saw-like bill unique among hummingbirds. Green plumage with a rufous throat. Nectarivore and insectivore. Classified as Near Threatened due to Atlantic Forest fragmentation.

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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