Roseate Spoonbill vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Platalea ajaja compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Roseate Spoonbill | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Platalea ajaja | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Pelecaniformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Threskiornithidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 81.0 cm (31.9 in) | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 127.0 cm (50.0 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 1500.0 g (52.91 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Small fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and plant material filtered from shallow water by sweeping the … | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | 1-7 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Roseate Spoonbill only
Ruby-throated Hummingbird only
None
Roseate Spoonbill
Shallow coastal lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, and freshwater marshes. Nests in colonies in trees and shrubs.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Deciduous and mixed forests, woodland edges, gardens, and parks with flowering plants. Migrates across the Gulf of Mexico.
Song & Call Comparison
Roseate Spoonbill
Low, grunting and guttural croaking sounds at nesting colonies. Generally quiet. Alarm calls are softer croaks. Vocalizations lack melodic quality; purely functional colony sounds.
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
Roseate Spoonbill
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America to Argentina.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Roseate Spoonbill
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Roseate Spoonbill
Vivid pink body plumage with darker carmine on the wings. Bare greenish-grey head. White neck and back. Intensity of pink depends on diet.
Long, flat, spatulate greyish bill used for sweeping through shallow water
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
Roseate Spoonbill
The roseate spoonbill is the only spoonbill species in the Americas and one of the most striking wading birds in the Western Hemisphere. Like flamingos, their pink color comes from carotenoid pigments in their crustacean prey. Nearly hunted to extinction for their plumes in the 19th century, they have recovered substantially.
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.