Bird Guide

Chestnut-breasted Coronet vs Sword-billed Hummingbird

Chestnut-breasted Coronet (Boissonneaua matthewsii)

Chestnut-breasted Coronet

Boissonneaua matthewsii

Tiny8 gForest

The chestnut-breasted coronet is 10.5 to 13 cm (4.1 to 5.1 in) long and weighs about 6.5 to 8.3 g (0.23 to 0.29 oz). Both sexes have a short, straight, black bill, a white spot behind the eye, and a notched tail. Males have metallic green upperparts. Their throat has yellowish green speckles on a buff base and the rest of the underparts are reddish chestnut with some green speckles on the flanks. The central tail feathers are bronzy and the rest reddish chestnut with bronzy tips. The female's plumage is almost identical, but with somewhat paler underparts and less speckling on the throat. Voice: One description of chestnut-breasted coronet vocalizations is "a high, thin, liquid tip, a rapid, sweet trill, and various squeaky notes."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Chestnut-breasted Coronet
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Zamora-Chinchipe: Reserva Tapichalaca, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Don Henise · CC BY 2.0
Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera)

Sword-billed Hummingbird

Ensifera ensifera

Tiny11 gForest

The sword-billed hummingbird is among the largest species of hummingbirds. Adults are 13–14 centimetres (5.1–5.5 in) long excluding the bill and weigh 10–15 g (0.35–0.53 oz), with males being slightly larger on average than females. The most distinctive feature of the species is the enormous bill, which is 8–12 centimetres (3.1–4.7 in) long. The bill is the largest of any hummingbird and the largest with respect to body length for any bird. The sword-billed hummingbird displays sexual dimorphism. Males have shorter bills but longer wings and tails than females. Voice: The sword-billed hummingbird makes a low, guttural, slightly trilled trrr.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Sword-billed Hummingbird
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Flight call · Pichincha: Yanacocha, Volcán Pichincha, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Andy Morffew from Itchen Abbas, Hampshire, UK · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Chestnut-breasted Coronet and Sword-billed Hummingbird.