Allen's Hummingbird vs Sooty Barbthroat
Selasphorus sasin compared with Threnetes niger
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Allen's Hummingbird | Sooty Barbthroat |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Selasphorus sasin | Threnetes niger |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 8.1 cm (3.2 in) | 11.8 cm (4.6 in) |
| Weight | 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz) | 5.8 g (0.20 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on nectar from coastal sage scrub and forest flowers in California. Supplements diet with … | Primarily nectarivore visiting tubular flowers; supplements diet with small insects and spiders for protein. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Allen's Hummingbird
Deep, resonant churring trill; prolonged low buzzing sound carrying well across broad coastal mangroves.
Sooty Barbthroat
Melodic, descending whistle with rich timbre; smooth pure tone dropping gracefully through several semitones then fading.
Geographic Range & Migration
Allen's Hummingbird
Breeds along the Pacific coast from Oregon to southern California. Partial migrant; some Channel Islands populations resident year-round.
Sooty Barbthroat
Found in a restricted range in northeastern Brazil and adjacent French Guiana. Resident in coastal rainforest. Rare and locally distributed.
Conservation Status
Allen's Hummingbird
Sooty Barbthroat
How to Tell Them Apart
Allen's Hummingbird
Fiery-throated Hummingbird (alt): males with brilliant multicolored gorget; metallic green above; females duller; pale buff below
Sooty Barbthroat
Dark sooty-brown and green upperparts; sooty-dark throat and breast; belly pale grey-buff; tail dark with pale tip; Guiana region endemic; distinctly darker and sootier below than other barbthroats with heavily …
About These Birds
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.
Sooty Barbthroat
A medium-sized hummingbird (10-12 cm) found in humid lowland forests of the eastern Amazon basin and the Guianas. Dark sooty-green plumage. Nectarivore of dense forest undergrowth. One of the least known hermit hummingbirds due to its restricted range in remote forests.