Bird Guide

Green-throated Mountaingem vs Purple-throated Mountaingem

Green-throated Mountaingem (Lampornis viridipallens)

Green-throated Mountaingem

Lampornis viridipallens

Tiny5 gForest

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

Photo: Fernando Bautista · CC BY 4.0
Purple-throated Mountaingem (Lampornis calolaemus)

Purple-throated Mountaingem

Lampornis calolaemus

Tiny5 gForest

The purple-throated mountaingem is 10 to 11.5 cm (3.9 to 4.5 in) long and weighs 4.5 to 6 g (0.16 to 0.21 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a medium-length straight black bill, a white to pale buff stripe behind the eye, and a fairly long tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies L. c. calolaemus have a glittering emerald green to bluish green forehead and crown. The rest of their upperparts are metallic bronze-green that shades to bluish or grass green on the uppertail coverts. Much of the face is dusky bronze green and the gorget is metallic violet or purple. Voice: The purple-throated mountaingem's song is "high, thin, and dry, a complex medley of sputtering and warbling notes." A frequently heard call is variously described as "trrrt" or "a sharp, penetrating, buzzy zeet or zeep." It also gives "higher-pitched, scratchy, chattering notes" when interacting with other hummingbirds.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Jean Ogden Just Chaos Photography from Shelbyville, KY · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Green-throated Mountaingem and Purple-throated Mountaingem.