Cardinal Click Beetle vs Sparkling Violetear

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Colibri coruscans

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Sparkling Violetear is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Sparkling Violetear
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Elateridae	Trochilidae
Genus	Ampedus	Colibri
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Colibri coruscans

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Sparkling Violetear share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Sparkling Violetear

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Sparkling Violetear
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cardinal Click Beetle

Habitat

Inhabits temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Sparkling Violetear

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Cardinal Click Beetle

The Cardinal Click Beetle (Ampedus cardinalis) is a species in the genus Ampedus. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Sparkling Violetear

A large, brilliant hummingbird of the Andes and high Venezuelan tepuis, sparkling violetears display glittering blue-green plumage with an iridescent violet-blue ear patch and chin that sparkle intensely in sunlight — delivering on their evocative name. Found at elevations of 1,200–3,000 meters across Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru in montane forest and scrub. Among the most common Andean hummingbirds, they are highly aggressive and vocal territory defenders at flower patches.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway