Brace's Emerald vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Riccordia bracei compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Brace's Emerald | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Riccordia bracei | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Extinct | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | — | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 3.54 g (0.12 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Extinct emerald; was a nectarivore of Bahamian scrub, likely visiting flowering shrubs and supplementing with … | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | -- | 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
Brace's Emerald
Soft, melodic warbling with gentle rhythm; notes rising and falling in quiet unhurried phrase through shaded area.
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
Brace's Emerald
Formerly endemic to New Providence Island, Bahamas. Extinct since the late 19th century. Known from a single 1877 specimen.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Brace's Emerald
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Brace's Emerald
Green-bellied Hummingbird: males with brilliant green gorget and belly; metallic green above; females green above; spotted white below
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
Brace's Emerald
An extinct hummingbird formerly endemic to New Providence Island, Bahamas. Known from a single specimen collected in 1877. Green plumage. Lost to habitat destruction and possibly predation by introduced mammals. No confirmed sightings since the 19th century.
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.