Asbestos Grass vs Black-throated Mango

Cenchrus basedowii compared with Anthracothorax nigricollis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asbestos Grass	Black-throated Mango
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Trochilidae
Genus	Cenchrus	Anthracothorax
Species	Cenchrus basedowii	Anthracothorax nigricollis

Conservation Status

Asbestos Grass

LC — Least Concern

Black-throated Mango

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asbestos Grass	Black-throated Mango
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Asbestos Grass

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Black-throated Mango

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Asbestos Grass

Asbestos grass (Cenchrus basedowii) is a species in the genus Cenchrus. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Black-throated Mango

A large, striking hummingbird of tropical forests from southern Mexico to Argentina, black-throated mangos have dramatic sexual dimorphism — males display glittering black throat and breast with violet and green flanks and a bold purple tail, while females are white below with a central black stripe. Inhabiting forest edges, clearings, and gardens, they aggressively defend flowering trees. Males perform spectacular aerial display flights at treetop height. Listed as Least Concern across their broad neotropical range.