Black-backed Thornbill vs Purple-backed Thornbill

Ramphomicron dorsale compared with Ramphomicron microrhynchum

Key Differences

• Black-backed Thornbill is Endangered while Purple-backed Thornbill is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-backed Thornbill	Purple-backed Thornbill
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family same	Trochilidae	Trochilidae
Genus same	Ramphomicron	Ramphomicron
Species	Ramphomicron dorsale	Ramphomicron microrhynchum

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-backed Thornbill and Purple-backed Thornbill share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Ramphomicron.

Conservation Status

Black-backed Thornbill

EN — Endangered

Purple-backed Thornbill

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-backed Thornbill	Purple-backed Thornbill
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-backed Thornbill

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Norway. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Purple-backed Thornbill

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Black-backed Thornbill

The Black-backed Thornbill (Ramphomicron dorsale) is a species in the genus Ramphomicron. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Purple-backed Thornbill

A tiny, jewel-like high-Andean hummingbird, male purple-backed thornbills display glittering violet-purple back and rump feathers with a distinctively short bill adapted for short-tubed flowers. Found in open páramo grasslands and cloud forest edges at elevations of 2,500–4,500 meters in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Despite their small size, they are aggressive territory defenders at flower patches. Their tiny size and high-altitude specialization make them one of the most cold-adapted hummingbirds.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇳🇴 Norway