Merida Sunangel vs Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Heliangelus spencei compared with Archilochus colubris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Merida Sunangel | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Heliangelus spencei | Archilochus colubris |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 8.5 cm (3.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 11.7 cm (4.6 in) | 11.0 cm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 5.0 g (0.18 oz) | 3.1 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore defending territories around productive Ericaceae patches. Supplements with tiny insects and spiders from foliage. | Nectar from tubular flowers, supplemented with small insects and spiders for protein. Feeds at over … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Deciduous and mixed forests, woodland edges, gardens, and parks with flowering plants. Migrates across the Gulf of Mexico.
Song & Call Comparison
Merida Sunangel
Rough, buzzy trill with scratchy edge; coarse sustained notes with raw texture carrying across dense tropical scrub.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Soft, high-pitched chattering and twittering 'chee-dit'. Also produces a thin 'tik' call in flight. Wing beats create an audible high-pitched humming buzz during hovering.
Geographic Range & Migration
Merida Sunangel
Endemic to the Mérida Andes of Venezuela in cloud forest and páramo edge. 2,200–3,400 m elevation.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Winters in Central America and southern Mexico.
Conservation Status
Merida Sunangel
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Tell Them Apart
Merida Sunangel
Viridian Metaltail: brilliant metallic green above; glittering violet-blue gorget; white postocular stripe; females green with spotted below
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Metallic green upperparts and greyish-white underparts. Males have a brilliant iridescent ruby-red gorget that appears black in poor light. Females lack the gorget.
Long, straight, thin black bill adapted for probing flowers
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.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only breeding hummingbird in eastern North America. These tiny birds beat their wings about 53 times per second and can fly backwards, sideways, and even briefly upside down. They make an extraordinary non-stop 800 km crossing of the Gulf of Mexico during migration.