Black-throated Mango vs Common Coontail

Anthracothorax nigricollis compared with Ceratophyllum demersum

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-throated Mango	Common Coontail
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Ceratophyllales (Ceratophyllales)
Family	Trochilidae	Ceratophyllaceae
Genus	Anthracothorax	Ceratophyllum
Species	Anthracothorax nigricollis	Ceratophyllum demersum

Conservation Status

Black-throated Mango

LC — Least Concern

Common Coontail

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-throated Mango	Common Coontail
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-throated Mango

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Common Coontail

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and deserts and xeric shrublands, among 9 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (6 countries), Europe (8 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (4 countries), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

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.

Common Coontail

<em>Ceratophyllum demersum</em>, commonly known as common coontail or hornwort, is a submerged aquatic plant in the family Ceratophyllaceae. It has an almost cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every continent except Antarctica in freshwater lakes, ponds, slow-moving rivers, and ditches. Common coontail is rootless, floating freely or loosely anchored in sediment, and forms dense underwater mats that provide important habitat and refuge for fish, invertebrates, and waterfowl. Its whorled, forked leaves are stiff and brittle with toothed margins. The species is well adapted to a wide range of water conditions and can tolerate turbid, nutrient-rich waters where other aquatic plants may struggle. It plays a significant role in aquatic ecosystems by oxygenating water and filtering excess nutrients. The species is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.