Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Lesser Violetear

Colibri cyanotus (Bourcier, 1843)

9.7–12 cmLength5.9 gWeight

The lesser violetear (Colibri cyanotus), also known as the mountain violet-ear, is a medium-sized, metallic green hummingbird species commonly found in forested areas from Costa Rica south to the Andes and Argentina and east to Venezuela.

Busiest months: January–March · Most records: Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador

Where and when it's recorded

Lesser Violetear has been recorded at 247 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Curi-Cancha Refugio de Vida SilvestreCosta Rica6,895 records
  2. Savegre HotelCosta Rica6,190 records
  3. Paraiso Quetzal Lodge - Km 70Costa Rica4,505 records
More places
  1. Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso MonteverdeCosta Rica3,967 records
  2. Reserva Ecológica Río Blanco – LodgeColombia3,895 records
  3. RNA Proaves El Dorado – LodgeColombia2,885 records
  4. Savegre Valley – Miriam's RestaurantCosta Rica2,391 records
  5. El Dorado ProAves ReserveColombia2,129 records
  6. Refugio Paz de las AvesEcuador2,034 records
  7. Parque Natural ChicaqueColombia1,893 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Costa RicaColombiaEcuadorPeruPanamaVenezuelaBolivia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The lesser violetear (Colibri cyanotus), also known as the mountain violet-ear, is a medium-sized, metallic green hummingbird species commonly found in forested areas from Costa Rica south to the Andes and Argentina and east to Venezuela. This species and the Mexican violetear were formerly considered as conspecific and named the 'green violetear'.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Lesser Violetear?

The Lesser Violetear is about 9.7–12 cm long and weighs around 5.9 g.

Where does the Lesser Violetear live?

Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: Costa Rica south to Bolivia. It is most often recorded in Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador.

When is the best time to see the Lesser Violetear?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and March (Northern Hemisphere).

What does the Lesser Violetear eat?

Main food: Nectar.

What family is the Lesser Violetear in?

It belongs to the family Hummingbirds (Trochilidae), order Apodiformes.

At a glance

Length
9.7–12 cm
Weight
5.9 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Nectar
Lifestyle
Feeds in the air
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
More measurements
Wing
62 mm
Tail
42 mm
Bill
24 mm
Tarsus
6 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Middle America, South America: Costa Rica south to Bolivia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Hummingbirds Trochilidae
Genus
Colibri

Other birds in the genus Colibri

Brown VioletearBrown VioletearColibri delphinaeMexican VioletearMexican VioletearColibri thalassinusSparkling VioletearSparkling VioletearColibri coruscansWhite-vented VioletearWhite-vented VioletearColibri serrirostrisCrimson TopazCrimson TopazTopaza pellaFiery TopazFiery TopazTopaza pyraWhite-necked JacobinWhite-necked JacobinFlorisuga mellivoraBlack JacobinBlack JacobinFlorisuga fuscaWhite-tipped SicklebillWhite-tipped SicklebillEutoxeres aquilaBuff-tailed SicklebillBuff-tailed SicklebillEutoxeres condamini
Lesser Violetear

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗

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