Purple-throated Sunangel

Overview

The purple-throated sunangel (Heliangelus viola) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes" group found on the western slopes of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru. It is currently assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN and is believed to be a stable population, despite its relatively restricted range.

Identification

• Small hummingbird measuring 11 to 12 cm in length and weighing 5.1 to 6.6 g with a short, straight, blackish bill.
• Both sexes possess shining green upperparts and bellies; the central tail feathers are shining green while the others are blackish.
• Adult males display a glittering blue-green frontlet and a deep violet iridescent gorget with a blue-green pectoral bar, whereas females lack these iridescent features and have tawny to off-white throats with bronzy green speckles.
• Vocalisations include a loose series of short dry trills described as 'trr..tr..trr....trr..' and a repeated, drawn-out, dry, buzzy 'bzzzrrr'.

Habitat

Inhabits the western slopes of the Andes from north-central Ecuador south into Peru as far as the departments of Cajamarca and Amazonas, ranging in elevation between 2,150 and 3,000 m. The species occupies a variety of landscapes including the interior and edges of cloud forest and secondary forest, alder woodlands, and shrubby areas. It is sedentary and locally fairly common within its restricted range.

Diet

Feeds on nectar and insects, capturing the latter by hawking from a perch and gleaning from vegetation. In parts of Ecuador, the species appears dependent on the introduced Eucalyptus globulus, with its distribution correlating with the tree's altitudinal occurrence.

Did you know?

Nothing else is known about the species' breeding phenology beyond the fact that the breeding season spans from October to January and the female incubates a clutch of two white eggs.