Violet-tailed Sylph vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Aglaiocercus coelestis comparé à Archilochus colubris

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Violet-tailed Sylph Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Nom scientifique Aglaiocercus coelestis Archilochus colubris
Ordre Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Famille Trochilidae Trochilidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur 8,5 cm (3.3 in)
Envergure 12,4 cm (4.9 in) 11,0 cm (4.3 in)
Poids 5,483333333333334 g (0.19 oz) 3,1 g (0.11 oz)
Régime alimentaire Nectarivore with elongated tail foraging at diverse montane flowers. Catches small arthropods near flowering bromeliads. Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over …
Taille de la couvée 2 2
Population Trend
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Size Comparison

Body Length
Violet-tailed Sylph
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 8,5 cm
Envergure
Violet-tailed Sylph 12,4 cm
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 11,0 cm
Poids
Violet-tailed Sylph 5,483333333333334 g
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3,1 g
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Violet-tailed Sylph only

Aucun(e)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird only

Aucun(e)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Deciduous and mixed forests, woodland edges, gardens, and parks with flowering plants. Migrates across the Gulf of Mexico.

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Song & Call Comparison

Violet-tailed Sylph

Chant

Sharp, emphatic two-note call; first note high and accented, second softer and brief, delivered at measured pace.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Chant

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.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Violet-tailed Sylph

Found on the western Andean slope and Pacific foothills of Colombia and Ecuador in humid forest. 300–1,600 m.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.

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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Violet-tailed Sylph

Least Concern

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

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How to Tell Them Apart

Violet-tailed Sylph

Plumage

Allen's Hummingbird: males with brilliant copper-orange back; glittering red-orange gorget; green crown; females green above with rufous

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Plumage

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.

Bec

Long, straight, thin black bill adapted for probing flowers

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About These Birds

Violet-tailed Sylph

A spectacular hummingbird (10 cm body + 13 cm tail in males) endemic to the western Andes of Colombia and Ecuador at 1,000-2,500 m. Males have dazzling violet-blue outer tail streamers. Nectarivore of cloud forest and forest edges. Replaced by Long-tailed Sylph east of the Andes.

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.

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