Gorgeted sunangel

The gorgeted sunangel is monotypic.[3]

Painting by John Gould

The gorgeted sunangel is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long and weighs about 5.3 g (0.19 oz). Its bill is short, blackish, and straight. The species is sexually dimorphic, but only slightly. Both sexes are dark velvety green above with a small white postocular spot and a dark steel-blue tail. Their lower underparts are dark green with dark gray speckles towards the rear. The male has a small glittering green frontlet just above the bill. Its throat and upper breast gorget is glittering rose to violet and has a white pectoral band below it. The female's chin is dark gray-brown with white fringes on the feathers and occasionally some glittering rosy feathers. Juveniles are like the female but with a narrower white pectoral band.[5]

The gorgeted sunangel is found from far southwestern Colombia's Nariño Department south discontinuously through much of western Ecuador. It primarily inhabits humid to wet premontane forest but is also found at the forest's shrubby borders and thickets. Within the forest it favors damp ravines. In elevation it ranges from 1,200 to 2,800 m (3,900 to 9,200 ft) but is rare at the upper elevations.[5]

The IUCN has assessed the gorgeted sunangel as being of Least Concern, though its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing.[1] It is fairly common in much of its range and occurs in a few protected areas.[5]