Black-throated Mango vs Clover Dodder

Anthracothorax nigricollis compared with Cuscuta epithymum

Key Differences

Black-throated Mango is Least Concern while Clover Dodder is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-throated Mango	Clover Dodder
Kingdom	Animalia (동물)	Plantae (식물)
Phylum	Chordata (척삭동물)	Magnoliophyta (피자식물문)
Class	Aves (새)	Magnoliopsida (목련강)
Order	Apodiformes (칼새목)	Solanales (가지목)
Family	Trochilidae	Convolvulaceae
Genus	Anthracothorax	Cuscuta
Species	Anthracothorax nigricollis	Cuscuta epithymum

Conservation Status

Black-throated Mango

LC — Least Concern

Clover Dodder

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-throated Mango	Clover Dodder
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.

Clover Dodder

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Black-throated Mango

검은목망고벌새(Anthracothorax nigricollis)는 멕시코 남부에서 아르헨티나까지 열대림에 서식하는 크고 화려한 벌새입니다. 뚜렷한 성적 이형성을 보이며, 수컷은 반짝이는 검은 목과 가슴에 보라·녹색 옆구리와 선명한 보라색 꼬리를 자랑하고, 암컷은 가슴 중앙에 검은 줄무늬가 있는 흰 아랫면을 지닙니다. 개화하는 나무를 공격적으로 방어하며 열대 전역에서 최소관심종으로 분류됩니다.

Clover Dodder

Clover dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) is a parasitic flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, a leafless, twining vine that obtains all its water and nutrients from host plants via haustoria — specialized penetrating organs that connect to host vascular tissue. The species is almost entirely dependent on its hosts throughout its life, with only brief photosynthetic activity during germination before establishing parasitic connections. C. epithymum parasitizes a wide range of host species including clover (Trifolium), gorse (Ulex), heathers (Erica, Calluna), thyme (Thymus), and other plants in open heathland, grassland, and scrub habitats. The stems are thread-like, yellowish-pink or reddish, and support clusters of small white to pale pink flowers. Originally widespread across Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Americas, the species has declined significantly in many parts of its range due to agricultural intensification, herbicide application, grassland conversion, and loss of semi-natural heathlands. It is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting population decline across its European core range. Conservation of C. epithymum requires the maintenance of unimproved, low-nutrient grasslands and heathlands that support its diverse host plant communities. The species is recorded from Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, though populations in some regions represent introductions associated with contaminated legume seed lots.