Published
- 2 min read
Ruby-Throated vs. Rufous: What’s the Difference?
🥊 Ruby-Throated vs. Rufous: What’s the Difference?
If you are a birder, you know the Ruby-throated. If you are a Western birder, you fear the Rufous.
These are the two heavyweights of the hummingbird world. Here is how they stack up.
🟢 The Ruby-Throated (The Eastern Prince)
- Look: Emerald green back, white belly, ruby-red throat.
- Vibe: Elegant, precise, slightly skittish.
- Range: dominates the East Coast.
- Migration: An incredible non-stop flight over the Gulf of Mexico.
🟠 The Rufous (The Western Warrior)
- Look: Rusty orange (rufous) back and belly. Like a flying copper coin.
- Vibe: Aggressive, angry, fearless.
- Range: The West, traveling all the way up to Alaska.
- Migration: They travel up to 4,000 miles, the longest migration of any bird relative to its body size.
⚔️ The Showdown
Occasionally, a Rufous will wander East. When this happens, chaos ensues.
- Aggression: A single Rufous can dominate a feeder against 5 or 6 Ruby-throats. They are pound-for-pound the toughest bird in the sky.
- Feeding Style: Ruby-throats hover politely. Rufous dive-bomb and chatter loudly.
📸 Capturing Them
To tell them apart in photos, look for the back color.
- Green Back = Ruby-Throated (usually).
- Orange Back = Rufous.
📚 Birding Essentials
Want to know who is visiting your feeder?
- Sibley Guide to Birds of North America: The bible of bird identification. It has detailed drawings of juvenile and female birds (which are harder to tell apart).
- Nikon Binoculars: You need clear, bright optics to see the difference between a green back and a slightly-less-green back!
Happy Watching!