Merida Sunangel vs Allen's Hummingbird

Heliangelus spencei compared with Selasphorus sasin

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Merida Sunangel Allen's Hummingbird
Scientific Name Heliangelus spencei Selasphorus sasin
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 11.7 cm (4.6 in) 8.1 cm (3.2 in)
Weight 5.0 g (0.18 oz) 3.1500000000000004 g (0.11 oz)
Diet Nectarivore defending territories around productive Ericaceae patches. Supplements with tiny insects and spiders from foliage. Feeds on nectar from coastal sage scrub and forest flowers in California. Supplements diet with …
Clutch Size 2 2
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Merida Sunangel only

None

Allen's Hummingbird only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Merida Sunangel

Song

Rough, buzzy trill with scratchy edge; coarse sustained notes with raw texture carrying across dense tropical scrub.

Allen's Hummingbird

Song

Deep, resonant churring trill; prolonged low buzzing sound carrying well across broad coastal mangroves.

Geographic Range & Migration

Merida Sunangel

Endemic to the Mérida Andes of Venezuela in cloud forest and páramo edge. 2,200–3,400 m elevation.

Allen's Hummingbird

Breeds along the Pacific coast from Oregon to southern California. Partial migrant; some Channel Islands populations resident year-round.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Merida Sunangel

Least Concern

Allen's Hummingbird

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.

Allen's Hummingbird

A small hummingbird (8-9 cm) breeding along the Pacific coast from Oregon to southern California. Males have an orange-red throat and rufous flanks. Closely related to Rufous Hummingbird. Partial migrant; some populations resident on Channel Islands. Named after Thomas Allen.

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