What Are the Nine Clades of Hummingbirds?

With approximately 365 species, hummingbirds are one of the most diverse bird families on Earth. But that number alone does not tell you much about how different one hummingbird can be from another. A tiny, ornate coquette in the Andes and a long-billed hermit creeping through a rainforest understory are both hummingbirds, yet they look and behave almost nothing alike.

Scientists have used genetic research to sort that diversity into nine major groups, called clades. Each clade represents a branch of the hummingbird family tree, a collection of species that share a common ancestor and, in most cases, a recognizable set of traits. Understanding the nine clades gives you a much richer picture of the hummingbird world than species count alone ever could.

What Is a Clade?

Before walking through all nine, it helps to know what a clade actually is. A clade is any group of species that all descend from a single common ancestor. It does not have to match a formal rank like family or subfamily. It simply means that if you traced every species in the group back far enough, they would all meet at the same point on the family tree.

For hummingbirds, the nine major clades were identified through molecular phylogenetic studies, meaning scientists analyzed the DNA of hundreds of species to map their evolutionary relationships. A landmark 2014 study sampled 284 hummingbird species and confirmed the nine-clade structure. Those clades, from the oldest branch to the most recently diverged, are: the topazes, the hermits, the mangoes, the coquettes, the brilliants, the giant hummingbird, the mountain gems, the bees, and the emeralds.

The Nine Clades, One by One

1. Topazes (Florisuginae)

The topazes represent one of the oldest branches of the hummingbird family tree, meaning their lineage split from the rest of the family very early on. This clade includes the topazes and jacobins, large, spectacularly colored hummingbirds found in South America and parts of the Caribbean. The Crimson Topaz is among the most visually striking birds in the entire family, with deep red and black plumage and elongated tail feathers. The White-necked Jacobin, familiar to birdwatchers in Central America, also belongs here.

2. Hermits (Phaethornithinae)

The hermits are perhaps the most ecologically distinctive clade in the family. Rather than defending flowering territories the way most hummingbirds do, hermits follow fixed routes through the forest called trap lines, visiting the same sequence of flowers repeatedly. Most hermits have long, curved bills and dull brown and buff plumage rather than iridescent color. Males gather at display sites called leks to sing and compete for females. The Long-tailed Hermit and the Reddish Hermit are well-known examples. Hermits are found primarily in the lowland forests of Central and South America.

3. Mangoes (Polytminae)

The mango clade covers a wide geographic range, from the Caribbean islands across Central America and into South America. These are medium to large hummingbirds, many with bold throat patterns and a mix of iridescent green and purple or black plumage. The Black-throated Mango is one of the most recognizable, with a striking black-and-green pattern on the underside. The Antillean Mango and the Green-throated Mango are familiar to Caribbean island birders.

4. Coquettes (Lesbiinae, tribe Lesbiini)

Coquettes are among the smallest and most ornate hummingbirds in existence. Most are tiny, often weighing just 2 to 3 grams, and the males of many species carry elaborate crests, ruffs, or throat plumes that seem almost too large for their bodies. The Tufted Coquette, with its orange crest and spotted throat ruff, is a prime example. Coquettes are found primarily in South America and Central America, often in forest edges and gardens at low to mid elevations.

5. Brilliants (Lesbiinae, tribe Heliantheini)

The brilliants are large, jewel-encrusted hummingbirds centered in the Andes and surrounding cloud forests. The name fits: the males of many species carry blazing patches of iridescent color on the throat, crown, or chest that seem to ignite in direct sunlight. The Empress Brilliant, the Fawn-breasted Brilliant, and the Green-crowned Brilliant are notable examples. Brilliants tend to favor mid to high elevation forest habitats and are a defining feature of Andean hummingbird diversity.

6. The Giant Hummingbird (Patagoninae)

This clade contains exactly one species: Patagona gigas, the Giant Hummingbird. At up to 23 centimeters long and weighing up to 24 grams, it is the largest hummingbird alive. It is so anatomically and genetically distinct from all other hummingbirds that it occupies its own subfamily, Patagoninae, and its own clade. Found in the Andean highlands of South America from Ecuador south to Argentina and Chile, it has a slower wingbeat than most hummingbirds and its flight can look almost swift-like compared to the rapid hovering of smaller species.

7. Mountain Gems (Trochilinae, tribe Lampornithini)

Mountain gems are a group of 18 species centered in the montane forests of Central America and northwestern South America. They tend to be medium-sized with clean, elegant plumage and are often found at higher elevations than most other hummingbirds in their range. The Blue-throated Mountain-gem is the largest hummingbird regularly seen in the United States, encountered in canyon habitats in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The White-bellied Mountain-gem and the Purple-throated Mountain-gem are other members of this clade.

8. Bees (Trochilinae, tribe Mellisugini)

The bee clade contains approximately 37 species and is the group most familiar to North American birdwatchers. It includes the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the Rufous Hummingbird, the Allen's Hummingbird, the Calliope Hummingbird, and the Broad-tailed Hummingbird, as well as the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) of Cuba, the world's smallest bird. Most members of this clade are small to very small, fast-moving, and highly territorial. The name comes from the Bee Hummingbird, though the entire group tends toward compact size and rapid, aggressive behavior.

9. Emeralds (Trochilinae, tribe Trochilini)

The emerald clade is the largest of the nine, with approximately 115 species spread across a wide range of habitats from Mexico to Argentina. It is also the most varied in appearance and habitat, making it harder to summarize with a single set of traits than some of the other clades. Many members do carry iridescent green plumage that earns the group its name, but the clade also includes sapphires, woodnymphs, sabrewings, and streamertails. The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and the Swallow-tailed Hummingbird are members of this group, as are many of the species common in lowland Central America.

Why the Nine Clades Matter for Birdwatchers

Knowing which clade a hummingbird belongs to can tell you a lot before you ever look at a field guide. If you are in a lowland rainforest and a large, dull-colored hummingbird moves slowly along a predictable route between flowers, it is almost certainly a hermit. If you see a tiny bird with an outrageous feathered crest, you are likely looking at a coquette. If you are birding in the Andes at high elevation and something the size of a large swift flies past, that could be the Giant Hummingbird.

For North American birdwatchers, the bee clade is the one closest to home. All of the hummingbirds that regularly nest in the United States and Canada, including the Ruby-throated, Rufous, Allen's, Calliope, Broad-tailed, Anna's, and Costa's Hummingbirds, belong to this clade. Understanding that connection makes the family feel more navigable, because those familiar backyard birds are all close relatives within the same tight evolutionary group.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are working through the nine clades and have questions about how they fit together or where specific species land, the answers below should help.

• How were the nine clades identified?

  They were identified through molecular phylogenetic research, primarily through DNA analysis of large numbers of hummingbird species. A major 2007 study first outlined the nine-clade structure, and a comprehensive 2014 study sampling 284 species confirmed it. The nine clades are now widely accepted across major checklists and field guides.

• Are the nine clades the same as the six subfamilies?

  They overlap closely but are not identical. The six subfamilies are the formal taxonomic ranks, while the nine clades are the evolutionary groupings identified by genetic research. Some subfamilies contain one clade, others contain more than one. For example, the subfamily Lesbiinae contains both the coquettes and the brilliants, which are treated as separate clades.

• Which clade has the most species?

  The emerald clade (Trochilini) is the largest, with approximately 115 species across 36 genera. It is also the most geographically widespread of the nine groups.

• Which clade are North American hummingbirds in?

  Most of the hummingbirds that breed in the United States and Canada belong to the bee clade (Mellisugini), which includes the Ruby-throated, Rufous, Allen's, Broad-tailed, Calliope, Anna's, and Costa's Hummingbirds. The Blue-throated Mountain-gem, found in canyon habitats of the American Southwest, belongs to the mountain gem clade (Lampornithini).

• What is the rarest or most unusual clade?

  The giant hummingbird clade (Patagoninae) is the most unusual by far, containing only a single living species. The Giant Hummingbird is so genetically and physically distinct from all other hummingbirds that it stands alone as its own clade and subfamily.

The content provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is intended as general information. Hummingbird behavior and conditions can vary by species, region, and environment.