Black Metaltail vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Metallura phoebe comparado con Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Atributo | Black Metaltail | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Nombre científico | Metallura phoebe | Archilochus colubris |
| Orden | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Familia | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Estado de conservación | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longitud | — | 8,5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Envergadura | 14,1 cm (5.6 in) | 11,0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Peso | 5,7325 g (0.20 oz) | 3,1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Dieta | Nectarivore of high Peruvian puna scrub; visits small compact flowers of cushion plants. Gleans tiny … | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Tamaño de la puesta | 2 | 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
Black Metaltail
Harsh, buzzy rattle with percussive onset; abrupt rough trill erupting suddenly then ceasing in sharp silence.
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
Black Metaltail
Found in the high Andes of Peru and Bolivia in puna and upper montane scrub at 3,400–5,000 m elevation.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Estado de conservación
Black Metaltail
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Black Metaltail
Fiery-throated Hummingbird: tiny; males with multicolored fiery gorget; metallic blue crown; iridescent green above; females duller
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
Black Metaltail
A small hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to the western Andes of Peru at 3,000-4,500 m. Males all black with iridescent purple-blue throat. Nectarivore of puna scrub, Polylepis woodland, and inter-Andean valleys. A Peruvian endemic. Conspicuous at flowering shrubs.
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.