Buff-throated Saltator vs Speckled Hummingbird

Saltator maximus compared with Adelomyia melanogenys

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buff-throated Saltator	Speckled Hummingbird
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Thraupidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Saltator	Adelomyia
Species	Saltator maximus	Adelomyia melanogenys

Evolutionary Relationship

Buff-throated Saltator and Speckled Hummingbird share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Buff-throated Saltator

LC — Least Concern

Speckled Hummingbird

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buff-throated Saltator	Speckled Hummingbird
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Buff-throated Saltator

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Speckled Hummingbird

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Buff-throated Saltator

A large, handsome saltator of humid forest, forest edge, and secondary woodland from Mexico through Central America and south to Bolivia and Brazil, buff-throated saltators display green upper parts with a distinctive white supercilium, black malar stripe, and warm buff throat. They are common in forest margins and gardens, producing rich, melodious warbling songs. They forage on seeds, fruit, and buds, occasionally joining mixed-species flocks. One of the most frequently observed saltators across their broad neotropical range.

Speckled Hummingbird

A medium-sized hummingbird with speckled or spotted underparts — unusual among hummingbirds dominated by plain or iridescent plumages — speckled hummingbirds inhabit cloud forest and forest edges in the Andes from Colombia and Venezuela south to Bolivia at elevations of 900–3,000 meters. The spotted underpart pattern provides remarkable camouflage when the bird perches on lichen-covered bark. They forage on nectar and small arthropods and are important pollinators of Andean epiphytes.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela