Blue-throated Mountaingem
Lampornis clemenciae
The blue-throated mountaingem is the largest hummingbird found in the United States. It is 11.2 to 12.8 cm (4.4 to 5.0 in) long. Males weigh an average of 8.4 g (0.30 oz) and females 6.8 g (0.24 oz). Both sexes have a medium-length black bill, though there is some variation among the subspecies and females' bills are longer than males'. Both sexes of all subspecies have a conspicuous white stripe behind the eye and a narrower stripe extending backward from the corner of its bill under a blackish cheek patch. The nominate subspecies is the largest and has the longest bill. Voice: Male blue-throated mountaingems sing two types of songs: a simple "peep song", which sounds like a squeaky wheel lasting about one second, and a quiet but complex "whisper song" lasting as long as eight seconds. The female is also reported to sing during the breeding season to attract the attention of males.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Green-throated Mountaingem
Lampornis viridipallens
The green-throated mountaingem is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long and weighs about 5.4 g (0.19 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a straight black bill, a white stripe behind the eye above a dark cheek, and a slightly forked tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have green upperparts with a bronzy rump and bluish black uppertail coverts. Their central tail feathers are black and the rest pale gray. Their throat is white with bluish green spots, their breast white, their belly grayish with green spots on the sides and flanks, and their undertail coverts dusky gray. Voice: What is thought to be the green-throated mountaingem's song is "a complex warble of squeaky notes and buzzy, gurgling trills, 'tsee-tsee-glr-tsee-glr-tsee-glugluglugluglu-glr-glr-tsee'." Its calls include "a hard, buzzy 'zzrrt', a short 'tsik' and high-pitched thin 'see'."
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where you might meet both
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Play today's Daily BirdPhotos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Blue-throated Mountaingem and Green-throated Mountaingem.