The Mérida sunangel is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Venezuela.
Region
Venezuelan Andes
Typical Environment
Endemic to the Cordillera de Mérida in western Venezuela, occurring in Mérida and adjacent Andean states. It uses humid montane cloud forests, elfin forest, and shrubby páramo edges, especially along forest margins and clearings with abundant flowers. The species often forages in secondary growth, along streams, and in gardens or shade-coffee where native shrubs persist. It favors densely flowered shrubs such as Fuchsia, Ericaceae, and bromeliads.
Altitude Range
1700–3500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Mérida sunangel is a small hummingbird of the Venezuelan Andes, where it frequents cloud-forest edges and páramo ecotones. Males show a glittering violet throat bordered by a crisp white pectoral band, a classic sunangel hallmark. It is an important pollinator of high-Andean flowers and also supplements its nectar diet with tiny insects.
Temperament
territorial and alert
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile hovering
Social Behavior
Mostly solitary while foraging and strongly defends rich flower patches against other hummingbirds. Pairs form during the breeding season; the nest is a tiny cup of plant fibers and moss placed on a horizontal branch. Typical clutch is two white eggs, with the female handling incubation and most chick care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Calls are high, thin chips and buzzy trills given during chases and territorial displays. Song is a faint, tinkling series interspersed with dry buzzes, often delivered from a low perch near flowering shrubs.
Plumage
Glossy green upperparts with a brilliant, glittering violet gorget and upper breast; a narrow, clean white pectoral band separates the gorget from darker lower underparts. Females are greener with a buffy, lightly speckled throat and a subtler pale chest band, often showing warmer cinnamon tones on the belly.
Diet
Primarily consumes nectar from tubular flowers such as Fuchsia, Ericaceae (e.g., Cavendishia), and bromeliads, inserting its slender bill deep into corollas. Also hawks or gleans tiny insects and spiders for protein, especially during breeding. May visit flowering trees and shrubs along edges and clearings, and occasionally takes sap from sapsucker wells.
Preferred Environment
Feeds along forest edges, roadsides with dense flowering shrubs, riparian thickets, and in secondary growth or gardens with native flowers. Often forages at mid-levels but will move between understory and canopy following blooms.
