Sunangel

The sunangels are a genus of hummingbirds, Heliangelus, found in montane South America.

Taxonomy

The genus Heliangelus was introduced in 1848 by the English ornithologist John Gould. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek ἡλιος/hēlios meaning "sun" with αγγελος/angelos meaning "angel". Gould did not specify a type species but in 1855 George Gray designated the type as Trochilus clarissae Longuemare which is Ornismya clarisse Longuemare, 1841, Longuemare's sunangel.

The genus contains the following nine species:

• Orange-throated sunangel, Heliangelus mavors – Colombia and Venezuela
• Amethyst-throated sunangel, Heliangelus amethysticollis – south Ecuador to northwest Bolivia
• Longuemare's sunangel, Heliangelus clarisse – east Colombia and west Venezuela
• Merida sunangel, Heliangelus spencei – Mérida (northwest Venezuela)
• Gorgeted sunangel, Heliangelus strophianus – southwest Colombia and northwest Ecuador
• Tourmaline sunangel, Heliangelus exortis – Colombia and northwest Ecuador
• Flame-throated sunangel, Heliangelus micraster – Ecuador and Peru
• Purple-throated sunangel, Heliangelus viola – Ecuador and Peru
• Royal sunangel, Heliangelus regalis – north Peru

The Bogotá sunangel was formerly placed in this genus. It is regarded as a hybrid specimen by AviList based on a study published in 2018 by Jorge Pérez-Emán and colleagues.

References