#Tourmaline Sunangel

[rondaincorporated]

Hummingbird Species, Part 93

This week starts off with the tourmaline sunangel, Heliangelus exortis. The tourmaline sunangel hummingbird, Heliangelus exortis, is a small, colorful bird native to the Andes mountain range of South America. Its vibrant plumage and energetic flight patterns make it a beloved subject among birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts. In this essay, we will explore the physical characteristics, behavior,…

[herpsandbirds]

Tourmaline Sunangel (Heliangelus exortis), male, family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes, found in South America

Photograph by beautifuloversland

[wrappedinsunlight]

I wish they gave insects & animals cooler names. There’s this blue slug and its official name is Carpathian Blue Slug or Bielzia… so wack in my opinion. & honestly i don’t think they like the name either if we’re being real , if i could ask em i would ya know. I just feel like their names shouldn’t be so serious. I was talking about hummingbirds the other day and another reason i like them is because they have pretty names like Tourmaline SunAngel…like breathtaking and perfectly fitting am i right?! Like even down to plants.Don’t get me wrong there’s cool ass names but like come on bro wheres the creativity & the fun for these beauties ? Serious ass names for whattt ? nigga could see a starfish or something be covered in polka dots and swirls and they’d name it antropidiocadous or some shit. Like get creative ! Get loose brooo !!!!

[dandelionwhiner]

I'm branching out into the Nightjar family here. There's some real bangers.

Frogmouth, Goatsucker: 3/10 The only thing you want people to take you seriously about is your Goblin Energy.

Buffy Helmetcrest, Juan Fernadez Firecrown, Rufous Sabrewing: You are an epic warrior.

Olivaceous Thornbill: 5/10 This is some British Empire gent who's on safari.

Sparkling Violetear, Horned Sungem, Purple-Crowned Fairy, Green Mango, Tourmaline Sunangel, Peacock Coquette, Rainbow Starfrontlet, Lucifer Sheartail: 11/10 you are a stand user from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

many trans people have terrific bird names (jay, wren, raven, robin, piper) but it feels like shorebirds are underexplored territory.

avocet: 7/10 great sound, very elegant. fails the starbucks test

killdeer: 9/10 imagine meeting a killdeer at a party. banger

woodcock: 3/10 probably not worth it but extremely funny bit potential for a trans dude

plover: 10/10 this one's real actually. where are all the plovers

heron: 8/10 you'd get a lot of "hera" but that's good too

dowitcher, godwit: 4/10 but very dark souls

sora: this one's taken actually. sorry.

brant. willet. whimbrel. grebe. we're missing out folks

[worldsandemanations]

Tourmaline Sunangel (Heliangelus exortis), male, family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes, found in South America Photograph by beautifuloversland

[wingedjewels]

Heliangelus exortis - Tourmaline Sunangel - Ángel Gorgiturmalina / Heliángelus belicoso. by Santiago Ramos Via Flickr: Heliangelus Gr. helios sun; angelos angel, messenger. exortis L. exortus appeared.

[romanlightman001]

Tourmaline Sunangel in Ecuador.

[josephbrooksjewelry]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joseph Brooks (@josephbrooksjewelry)

Tourmaline Sunangel hummingbird at the Urrao Starfrontlet Reserve #naturelovers #birdwatching #tourmaline #jeweltones #gemstones #magical #mystical #godisnatureandnatureisgod #josephbrooksjewelry (at Urrao) https://www.instagram.com/p/Br8-ajeAW4V/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qblsbvrfwf6b

[noturaverageamerican]

As the road drops down from the heights of the Papallacta pass heading towards the lower slopes of the East Andes, there is a small lodge marked by a large dark rock wall with a large painted with a sword-billed hummingbird and the word Guango. This is the Guango Lodge.

The word Guango comes from the Quichua language and has no simple translation into English. It describes a place where tumbling rivers meet on high mountain slopes covered in mystical cloud forest. The rivers scour the land and re-make the terrain every few years as floods come and go with the changing seasons. At Guango Lodge, it is possible to hike the cloud forest and to meander the gravel shores of the fast moving river.

Guango Lodge is close to Quito, so close that a day trip is easily possible. We visited on the return from their sister lodge, Cabañas San Isidro in Cosanga. We arrived mid-morning and were able to get in a short hike along the river and through the lower lying cloud forest before lunch. Our guide pointed out the tiniest orchids nestled into tree trunks, found the skunky smelling Campanulasie flower after we asked what made such a pungent aroma, and led us to a forest filled with Masked Trogons.

We must have arrived for mating season because I have never seen so many Masked Trogons in a single day. In fact, a good day in the Cloud Forest might mean seeing a male and a female Masked Trogon at different times and at different places. Here at Guango, in the middle of June, we saw four females and two males, all perched in the same part of the forest. In fact, it was tough to decide which bird to follow for as one left a branch, another perched in a good location. None came very low, so all photos are taken from the ground looking up but considering this was a mid-morning hike and we had no bird blind to hide us, I am thrilled with the shots.

After the hike, we returned to the Lodge for a hearty lunch. But I couldn’t sit still for very long. The hummingbirds were calling. Immediately in front of the lodge is a hummingbird garden filled with dozens of feeders. They are placed at different heights and each attracts different species of birds. The most aggressive and numerous were the Buff-tailed Coronets and the most exciting were the Sword-billed Hummingbird with its 10-centimeter long beak and the Long-tailed Sylph, with its sweeping neon blue tail.

A female Buff-winged Starfrontlet perches where she can keep an eye on her favorite feeder.

A female Tourmaline Sunangel takes a break from the activity at the buzzing feeders at Guango Lodge, Ecuador.

The male Collared-Inca appears black in most light but the feathers on top of his head are actually a deep blue-purple.

This Long-tailed Sylph preferred perching in high places and was so quick at the feeders that I never caught him in flight.

This female Collared Inca hid in the dark branches of low-lying bushes.

The feathers on the throat of the Tourmaline Sunangel change color depending on the light and the angle.

A Sword-billed Hummingbird approaches a sugar feeder.

For $25 each, we enjoyed the excellent services of a local guide, access to the hiking trails and grounds, a hearty lunch, and hours of hummingbird watching. It was a deal and I can’t wait to return and stay the night. I can only imagine the birds I might see in the early hours of the morning.

Contact Guango Lodge

by phone – 593-2-2891880 or 2891883

by email – info@guangolodge.com

offices at Avenida Siena 318 y Calle A, Edificio MDX, oficina 310, La Primavera in Cumbaya

[ready_google_map id=’74’]

Escape the big city of Quito with a day trip to Guango Lodge. As the road drops down from the heights of the Papallacta pass heading towards the lower slopes of the East Andes, there is a small lodge marked by a large dark rock wall with a large painted with a sword-billed hummingbird and the word Guango.

[calochortus]

Tourmaline Sunangel by Andy Morffew Via Flickr: When these little hummingbirds land they immediately lift their wings for a fraction of a second. Of course, as soon as you've seen it, that's the shot you want!!! Taken at Guango Lodge, Ecuador.

[thalassarche]

Tourmaline Sunangel (Heliangelus exortis) - photo by Andy Morffew

[herpsandbirds]

Hi there! An odd sort of question, but is there some unspoken convention on bestowing colorful monikers upon hummingbird species?

For example, those broad categories of Sunangels, Visorbearers, Coquettes, and others... my favorite among them is the Marvelous Spatuletail. They all seem to have had special attention when being identified, and I thought perhaps there was some logic, if not tradition, behind the naming.

Thank you for any insight, and thank you for curating this beautiful blog!

Hummingbird Names:

Yes, there really is a convention of giving hummingbirds ridiculously colorful and creative names...

Ruby Topaz, Tourmaline Sun-angel, Tufted Coquette, etc...

Linneaus described a lot of these hummingbirds, but I can't remember if he was the one who named them in English.

Obviously, there is a huge variety of hummingbirds, with a variety of amazing coloration. We can't just name them after colors and patterns, or we'd run out of naming pretty quickly, so ornithologists started going with more poetic naming.

I personally REALLY LIKE IT!

Fiery Topaz (Topaza pyra), male singing, family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes, Acre, Brazil

photograph by Hector Bottai 

[birdworlds]

Tourmaline sunangel

[herpsandbirds]

Tourmaline Sunangel (Heliangelus exortis), male, family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes, Río Blanco Nature Reserve, Colombia

photograph by Robin Alexander Mettler @robinmettler3

[wingedjewels]

IMG_3190 Tourmaline Sunangel_hummingbird by Ahmad Shah Via Flickr: Guango Lodge. Ecuador.

[wingedjewels]

IMG_6412 Tourmaline Sunangel by Sue Bishop Via Flickr: Near Papallacta,Napo Province,Ecuador