Merida Sunangel vs Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Heliangelus spencei compared with Ocreatus addae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Merida Sunangel | Rufous-booted Racket-tail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Heliangelus spencei | Ocreatus addae |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 11.7 cm (4.6 in) | — |
| Weight | 5.0 g (0.18 oz) | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore defending territories around productive Ericaceae patches. Supplements with tiny insects and spiders from foliage. | Nectarivore of Bolivian and Peruvian cloud forest; visits Ericaceae and bromeliads. Gleans small insects from … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Merida Sunangel
Rough, buzzy trill with scratchy edge; coarse sustained notes with raw texture carrying across dense tropical scrub.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Deep, resonant hum barely audible; extremely low vibration barely perceptible during hovering near high-altitude flowers.
Geographic Range & Migration
Merida Sunangel
Endemic to the Mérida Andes of Venezuela in cloud forest and páramo edge. 2,200–3,400 m elevation.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Found in cloud forests of northern Bolivia and adjacent Peru and Brazil at 400–1,400 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Merida Sunangel
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
About These Birds
Merida Sunangel
A small hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to the Andes of western Venezuela (Mérida) at 2,400-3,500 m. Males have a glittering purple throat. Green plumage. Nectarivore of páramo and cloud forest edges. A range-restricted Venezuelan endemic.
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
A small hummingbird (8-10 cm plus tail rackets) found in Andean cloud forests of southeastern Peru and Bolivia at 1,200-2,200 m. Males have rufous leg puffs instead of white. Recently split from Booted Racket-tail. Nectarivore of montane forest undergrowth.