- Heliangelus exortis
Identification
10–11 cm (4-4¼ in)) hummingbird with short straight bill.
Male
- Iridescent green above
- Small white spot behind the eye
- Chin is violet-blue
- Gorget rosy-purple
- Rear belly grey, undertail coverts white
- Long forked tail
Female has a white throat of variable size and share the white undertail.
Distribution
South America: found in Ecuador and Colombia, on the east slope of the Andes.
Generally between 2200-3100m. elevation.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Temperate or perhaps also subtropical moist montane forests to heavily degraded former forest.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds from flowers and where available also comes to feeders. They are very territorial, defending their area very aggressively.
Breeding
They female incubates their 2 eggs.
Action
Holds wings aloft just after landing. Clings to flowers rather than hovering.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- BF Member observations
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Jan 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Tourmaline Sunangel. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Tourmaline_Sunangel
