Bird Guide

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird vs White-booted Racket-tail

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird (Phaeochroa cuvierii)

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

Phaeochroa cuvierii

Tiny9 gUrban

The scaly-breasted hummingbird is 11.5 to 13 cm (4.5 to 5.1 in) long and weighs about 8 to 10 g (0.28 to 0.35 oz). All of the subspecies except P. c. roberti have a mostly black bill with a pink base to the mandible; roberti's is all black. Males and females of all subspecies have the same plumage but females have a longer bill. The nominate subspecies P. c. cuvierii is the smallest and palest subspecies. It is mostly bronzy green with a grayish buff belly. The feathers of the underparts have buffy edges that give a scaly appearance. Voice: The scaly-breasted hummingbird's song is "a loud, variable, continuous warble...a mix of chips, sharp squeaks and short trills or sputters". During chases it makes "a high-pitched descending trill" and other calls include "a repeated short burry 'trrk', wet 'tlek', and a more emphatic 'chick'."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Aitor · CC BY 4.0
White-booted Racket-tail (Ocreatus underwoodii)

White-booted Racket-tail

Ocreatus underwoodii

Tiny3 gForest

All racket-tails have pronounced sexual dimorphism. Only the male has elongated outer rectrices (tail feathers). These tail feathers have bare shafts with long terminal oval flags. In all five subspecies of white-booted racket-tail those feathers are straight and do not cross; the flags slightly overlap. Both sexes of all have greenish upperparts without a glittering forehead, and all have white leg puffs. Males have a greenish gray throat and a solid green belly. Male white-booted racket-tails are 11 to 15 cm (4.3 to 5.9 in) long including the 7 to 8 cm (2.8 to 3. Voice: Both male and female white-booted racket-tails give "a diagnostic, descending, thin sweet trill, 'ti-tlee-ee-ee' single 'tsit' and 'trrt' notes."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Soler97 (aka Tad Boniecki) at en.wikipedia · Public domain

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Scaly-breasted Hummingbird and White-booted Racket-tail.