Ruby-throated Hummingbird Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesRuby-throated Hummingbird
Adult male
Tiny, with long wings and bill. Dusky below with a bright red throat, black mask, and green crown.
© Brian Kulvete / Macaulay LibraryConnecticut, May 03, 2018Female
Female is golden-green above and whitish below, lacking male's ruby throat.
© German Garcia / Macaulay LibraryMorelos, September 14, 2020Adult male
Tiny bird with emerald green back and brilliant red throat. The throat is iridescent and looks black or dark red, then lights up when viewed at the correct angle.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 01, 2004Not all videos have sound
Adult male
Expert flier that can stop instantly, hover, and adjust its position up, down, or backwards with exquisite control.
© Jeremy Cohen / Macaulay LibraryWisconsin, August 03, 2020Adult male
In some light the throat of the adult male can appear black.
© Grace C / Macaulay LibraryVermont, May 16, 2020Female
Hovers with pinpoint precision, beating wings so fast they're almost invisible. Drinks nectar by probing flowers with long, thin bill.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryMissouri, January 01, 1997Not all videos have sound
Female
Feeds on a variety of flowering plants. Tiny, with long wings and bill. Mostly white below, with buffy flanks, a dusky mask, and green upperparts.
© bellemare celine / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, August 21, 2019Adult male
Upperparts bright metallic green, and short tail is black and forked.
© Joey Herron / Macaulay LibraryWest Virginia, June 29, 2017Female
Eats insects in addition to nectar, often plucking them from spiderwebs or taking them from a sapsucker's sap wells.
© Eric Liner / Macaulay LibraryNew York, June 10, 2006Not all videos have sound
Female
Upperparts bright metallic green, and short tail is mostly black with white tips to the outer feathers.
© Warren Lynn / Macaulay LibraryIndiana, July 15, 2015Immature male
Immature males have some red feathers on the throat.
© Dina Perry / Macaulay LibraryTexas, September 11, 2018Nest
Nestlings have shorter bills than adults. Nest is thimble-sized, made with spiderweb that stretches as the young birds grow.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryMissouri, June 01, 1999Not all videos have sound
Juvenile
Uses long tongue to drink nectar from tubular flowers or sugar water from hummingbird feeders.
© Cam Nikkel / Macaulay LibraryManitoba, September 05, 2018Adult male
Sometimes perches prominently on exposed branches.
© Paul Bigelow / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 19, 2017Similar SpeciesBlack-chinned Hummingbird
Adult male
Adult male Black-chinned Hummingbirds look similar to adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, especially in poor light, but Black-chinned Hummingbirds have a purple throat and Ruby-throateds have a red throat.
© Ian Hearn / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, July 13, 2017Similar SpeciesBlack-chinned Hummingbird
Female/immature
Where their ranges overlap, look carefully at the tail on perched birds. Black-chinned Hummingbirds have longer wings that reach the tip of the tail or go slightly beyond it, whereas Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have a longer tail, extending well beyond the wingtips.
© Paul Fenwick / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, September 14, 2016Similar SpeciesBroad-tailed Hummingbird
Adult male
The breeding range of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds does not overlap with Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Adult male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds lack the adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird's dark eye patch.
© Gregg Friesen / Macaulay LibraryColorado, July 29, 2017Similar SpeciesBroad-tailed Hummingbird
Female/immature
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds have cinnamon-colored tail feathers, whereas the tail feathers on Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are green and black. Note range differences.
© Bill Maynard / Macaulay LibraryColorado, August 28, 2016Similar SpeciesAnna's Hummingbird
Adult male
The ranges of Anna's and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds do not overlap, but note glittering red forehead on adult male Anna's but not on adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.
© Kyle Blaney / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 02, 2013Similar SpeciesAnna's Hummingbird
Female
The ranges of Anna's and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds do not overlap, but note greener washed sides on female Anna's.
© Ryan Winkleman / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, April 16, 2017Similar SpeciesRufous Hummingbird
Female/immature
The breeding ranges of Rufous and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds do not overlap, but note cinnamon washed flanks on female/immature Rufous Hummingbirds.
© Ian Routley / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, September 16, 2016Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Hummingbirds(Order: Caprimulgiformes, Family: Trochilidae)
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