Gorgeted Sunangel
Heliangelus strophianus
Unmistakable; glittering pinkish-purple throat is distinctive in good light, but also note the snowy white chest band, which is always obvious. Medium-sized with a rather short, straight bill. Like other sunangels, holds wings out for a few seconds after it lands. Based on plumage, could be confused with Purple-throated Woodstar, but the sunangel is larger with a much different flight style. The only sunangel within limited range on the west slope of Andes; occurs mostly in Ecuador, but barely extends into Colombia. Occurs in a rather narrow elevational band in the upper subtropical zone from around 1,700 to 2,300 m. Can be seen at all levels in the cloud forest, edges, and gardens, but most frequently at middle heights within the forest. Visits feeders.
Identification
The gorgeted sunangel is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long and weighs about 5.3 g (0.19 oz). Its bill is short, blackish, and straight. The species is sexually dimorphic, but only slightly. Both sexes are dark velvety green above with a small white postocular spot and a dark steel-blue tail. Their lower underparts are dark green with dark gray speckles towards the rear. The male has a small glittering green frontlet just above the bill. Its throat and upper breast gorget is glittering rose to violet and has a white pectoral band below it. The female's chin is dark gray-brown with white fringes on the feathers and occasionally some glittering rosy feathers. Juveniles are like the female but with a narrower white pectoral band.
Taxonomy
The gorgeted sunangel is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Heliangelus strophianus
- Authority
- (Gould, 1846)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Heliangelus
Range and habitat
The gorgeted sunangel is found from far southwestern Colombia's Nariño Department south discontinuously through much of western Ecuador. It primarily inhabits humid to wet premontane forest but is also found at the forest's shrubby borders and thickets. Within the forest it favors damp ravines. In elevation it ranges from 1,200 to 2,800 m (3,900 to 9,200 ft) but is rare at the upper elevations.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Little is known about the gorgeted sunangel's movements but some seasonal altitudinal movement is likely.<p>The gorgeted sunangel is usually seen alone, so it is probably territorial. It feeds on nectar, mostly at low flowers but sometimes as high as the subcanopy. It stays in or near cover and shuns open areas. No further information has been documented, though other species of its genus include insects in their diets.<p>The gorgeted sunangel's breeding season is mainly between October and December but might begin earlier. The clutch of two white eggs is incubated by the female. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding phenology.<p>The gorgeted sunangel's song is "a repeated series of 2–3 high-pitched 'pseee' notes...followed by a slightly lower-pitched 'tsip' note." Its call is "a dry chattering followed by a mellow note 'kr..krr..krr..whee..'" and it also makes a high-pitched twitter.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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