Ruby-throated Hummingbird vs Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Archilochus colubris compared with Threnetes leucurus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Pale-tailed Barbthroat |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Archilochus colubris | Threnetes leucurus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) | 11.5 cm (4.5 in) |
| Weight | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) | 5.42 g (0.19 oz) |
| Diet | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … | Primarily nectarivore; uses its strongly hooked bill to probe for nectar in curved flowers; eats … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Ruby-throated Hummingbird only
None
Pale-tailed Barbthroat only
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Deciduous and mixed forests, woodland edges, gardens, and parks with flowering plants. Migrates across the Gulf of Mexico.
Song & Call Comparison
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.
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Rapid, buzzing trill with insect-like quality; sustained high-frequency vibration followed by softer descending notes.
Geographic Range & Migration
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Found in the Amazon basin and Guiana Shield from Venezuela and the Guianas south to Peru and Bolivia. Resident in humid forest interior.
Conservation Status
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
How to Tell Them Apart
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
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Bronze-green upperparts; pale greyish-buff underparts; dark malar stripe; tail pale buff-white with dark subterminal band; lacks the strong black banding of Band-tailed Barbthroat; Amazonian species with paler tail pattern.
About These Birds
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.
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
A medium-sized hummingbird (10-12 cm) found in humid lowland forests of northern South America and Trinidad. Green plumage with white-tipped tail feathers and a decurved bill. Nectarivore of forest undergrowth, visiting Heliconia and Costus flowers. An important lowland forest pollinator.