Purple-throated Mountain-gem

Purple-throated Mountain-gem

Lampornis calolaemus

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Arenal Volcano National Park
302 Verified sightings at Arenal Volcano National Park From 2019 to 2026
9,322 Verified sightings across all 12 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Purple-throated Mountain-gem

The purple-throated mountaingem (Lampornis calolaemus) is a species of hummingbird in tribe Lampornithini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. The purple-throated mountaingem's taxonomy is somewhat unsettled. As late as 1999 various authors have treated it, the white-throated mountaingem (L. castaneoventris) and gray-tailed mountaingem (L. cinereicauda) as a single species. Others have kept the purple-throated separate but lumped the other two as a single species. These three species form a closely related group that evolved some 3.5 million years ago and has diversified since.

The purple-throated mountaingem currently (2022) is its own species with three subspecies, the nominate L. c. calolaemus, L. c. pectoralis, and L. c. homogenes. The purple-throated mountaingem is 10 to 11.5 cm (3.9 to 4.5 in) long and weighs 4.5 to 6 g (0.16 to 0.21 oz).

Both sexes of all subspecies have a medium-length straight black bill, a white to pale buff stripe behind the eye, and a fairly long tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies L. c. calolaemus have a glittering emerald green to bluish green forehead and... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
2 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
3 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
4 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
6 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
8 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
9 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
10 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
11 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
12 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Purple-throated Mountain-gem in Arenal Volcano National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-throated Mountain-gem sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park, based on 302 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Purple-throated Mountain-gem in Arenal Volcano National Park?

July has the highest sighting rate for Purple-throated Mountain-gem in Arenal Volcano National Park in our monthly data.

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