Heliangelus regalis

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Superordo: Caprimulgimorphae
Ordo: Apodiformes

Familia: Trochilidae
Subfamilia: Trochilinae
Genus: Heliangelus
Species: Heliangelus regalis
Subspecies: H. r. regalis – H. r. johnsoni
Name

Heliangelus regalis Fitzpatrick, Willard & Terborgh, 1979

Holotype: AMNH 823987, adult ♂, 14 Jul 1976
Type locality: Cordillera del Cóndor, above San José de Lourdes, Cajamarca, Peru, 5°02'S 78°51'W, elevation 1950 m.

References

Fitzpatrick, J.W., Willard D.E., & Terborgh, J.W. 1979. A new species of hummingbird from Peru. Wilson Bulletin 91(2): 177–186 BHL Reference page.

Links

IUCN: Heliangelus regalis (Near Threatened)

Vernacular names
català: Colibrí àngel blau
Cymraeg: Haulangel brenhinol
Deutsch: Blaue Sonnennymphe
English: Royal Sunangel
español: Colibrí Real
français: Héliange Royale
magyar: Királyi napfénykolibri
Nederlands: Peruaanse zonnekolibrie
svenska: kungssolängel

The royal sunangel (Heliangelus regalis) is an endangered species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.[4][5][6]
Taxonomy and systematics

The royal sunangel was originally described in 1979 as monotypic.[3] In 2011 a second subspecies, H. r. johnsoni, was described and was accepted by major taxonomic systems.[7][4][5][8]
Description

The royal sunangel is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) long and weighs 3.4 to 4.5 g (0.12 to 0.16 oz). Its black bill is short and straight. Both subspecies are strongly sexually dichromatic. The adult males are unique among genus Heliangelus: Their bodies are entirely dark blue. The nominate's plumage is slightly shiny, with significant iridescence only on its forecrown (just above the bill). H. r. johnsoni is intensely iridescent all over and especially so on the crown, throat, and upper breast. The male nominate's tail is dark metallic violet-purple and that of johnsoni is metallic indigo. Both males' tails are deeply forked.[9]

Adult females of the two subspecies are similar to those of the rest of genus Heliangelus and differ only slightly between them. They are dark green above and rich cinnamon with bronzy green discs below. A buffy breastband separates the throat and chest. Their tails are not as deeply forked as those of the males. The nominate female's tail is blue-black and that of johnsoni is metallic indigo like that of the male. Juveniles are like the females but with gray spots instead of green on the throat. The amount of blue in males increases with age and typically the gorget is the first area to achieve it.[9]
Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of royal sunangel is mostly found in the Cordillera del Cóndor of Peru's Cajamarca and Amazonas departments, and also on the east slope of the Andes in Peru's departments of San Martín and Loreto. It was first documented in extreme southeastern Ecuador's Zamora-Chinchipe Province in 2008.[10] H. r. johnsoni is found only in the Cordillera Azul of northern Peru.[9]

The royal sunangel inhabits a few specialized landscapes. It is most numerous in "elfin scrub", a rather dry grassland habitat with mossy stunted forest and small bushes that forms the transition between dry savannah and humid elfin forest. It is also found in steep wooded ravines, and in Ecuador is most numerous on sandstone ridges with páramo-like vegetation but also in medium-elevation forest. The species is most abundant between 1,500 and 2,200 m (4,900 and 7,200 ft) of elevation. It has been documented as low as 1,250 m (4,100 ft) and there are sight records between 550 and 700 m (1,800 and 2,300 ft) in Peru.[9]
Behavior
Movement

The royal sunangel's movements have not been documented but seasonal altitudinal changes are likely. Outside the breeding season it seems that females tend to occur at lower elevations than males.[9]
Feeding

The royal sunangel feeds on nectar and insects. Several flowering plants, shrubs, and small trees have been identified as nectar sources. Males are highly territorial at flowering bushes. Both sexes often feed by perching on a flower rather than hovering, and they have been observed "robbing" nectar from holes pierced by other birds. They capture insects by hawking from a perch and by gleaning from vegetation.[9]
Breeding

The few records suggest that the royal sunangel's breeding season is from July to September. The clutch of two white eggs is incubated by the female. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding phenology and no nest has been described.[9]

Dickcissel male perched on a metal pole singing, with neck stretched and beak open.

Songs and calls
Listen to royal sunangel on xeno-canto
Vocalization

The royal sunangel has a wide variety of vocalizations. During aerial displays males give "a series of emphatic 'tseep' notes". Two agonistic males "uttered an endless, thin, high-pitched jumble of 'jijijit’jijit’jijit’jijiji…' notes". Calls given while feeding are "a repeated short dry and emphatis 'tsik' or 'tsawk'". One male gave "a sharp, high-pitched, fast 'chichúp chúp!'" and a female "a thin, high-pitched 'tziíp!'".[9]
Status

The IUCN assesses the royal sunangel as near threatened. It has a highly fragmented range, with a documented presence at fewer than 10 locations, and its specialized habitat is under threat from cultivation and deforestation.[1][9]
References

BirdLife International (2022). "Royal Sunangel Heliangelus regalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T22687901A210187058. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
Fitzpatrick, J.W.; Willard, D.E.; Terborgh, J.W. (1979). "A new species of hummingbird from Peru". Wilson Bulletin. 91: 177–186.
Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 12.1)". doi:10.14344/IOC.ML.11.2. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
HBW and BirdLife International (2020) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip [.xls zipped 1 MB] retrieved May 27, 2021
Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved August 24, 2021
Graves, G.R.; Lane, D.F.; O'Neill, J.P; Valqui, T. (2011). "A distinctive new subspecies of the Royal Sunangel (Aves: Trochiliformes; Heliangelus regalis) from the Cordillera Azul, northern Peru". Zootaxa. 3002: 52–58. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3002.1.5.
Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 25, 2021
Heynen, I., P. F. D. Boesman, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Royal Sunangel (Heliangelus regalis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.roysun1.01 retrieved January 22, 2022
Krabbe, N.; Ahlman, F.L. (2008). "Royal Sunangel Heliangelus regalis at Yankuam Lodge, Ecuador". Cotinga. 31: 31.