Ruby-throated Hummingbird vs Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Archilochus colubris compared with Amazona aestiva
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Turquoise-fronted Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Archilochus colubris | Amazona aestiva |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Psittaciformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Psittacidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Near Threatened |
| Length | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) | 36.0 cm (14.2 in) |
| Wingspan | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) | 55.0 cm (21.7 in) |
| Weight | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) | 400.0 g (14.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … | Seeds, nuts, fruits, berries, and flowers. Feeds in tree canopy in noisy flocks. Occasionally raids … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 1-5 |
| 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.
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Tropical and subtropical forests, woodland, savanna, and palm groves in South America.
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.
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Loud, raucous squawking and screaming calls. Capable of impressive vocal mimicry including human speech. Contact call is a rolling 'arr-arr'. Highly vocal in social groups.
Geographic Range & Migration
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Interior of South America including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.
Conservation Status
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
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
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Green body with a turquoise-blue forehead, yellow face, and red and blue wing patches. Red at the bend of the wing visible in flight.
Strong, hooked, dark grey upper mandible with a paler lower mandible
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.
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
The turquoise-fronted amazon is one of the most popular pet parrots in the world, prized for its ability to mimic human speech and its engaging personality. In the wild, these sociable parrots roost communally in large flocks and fly in pairs to feeding sites at dawn. Habitat loss and trapping for the pet trade threaten wild populations.