Scaly-breasted Hummingbird
Scaly-breasted HummingbirdScaly-breasted HummingbirdScaly-breasted HummingbirdScaly-breasted Hummingbird

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

Phaeochroa cuvierii

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Arenal Volcano National Park
4,729 Verified sightings at Arenal Volcano National Park From 2019 to 2026
9,718 Verified sightings across all 33 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

The scaly-breasted hummingbird or scaly-breasted sabrewing (Phaeochroa cuvierii) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.

Most major taxonomic systems place the scaly-breasted hummingbird by itself in genus Phaeochroa. However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) places it in the large genus Campylopterus and calls it the scaly-breasted sabrewing. All but HBW follow the findings of a 2014 study that found Campylpterus to be polyphyletic and resulted in the move of several species to other genera.

The worldwide systems agree that the scaly-breasted hummingbird has these six subspecies: P. c. roberti (Salvin, 1861) P. c. maculicauda Griscom, 1932 P. c. furvescens Wetmore, 1967 P. c. saturatior (Hartert, 1901) P. c. cuvierii (Delattre & Bourcier, 1846)

P. c. berlepschi Hellmayr, 1915 P. c. roberti has been suggested as a separate species. The scaly-breasted hummingbird is 11.5 to 13 cm (4.5 to 5.1 in) long and weighs about 8 to 10 g (0.28 to 0.35 oz). All of the subspecies... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Arenal Volcano National Park

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
LC

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Amazilia tzacatl

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Violet-headed Hummingbird
LC

Violet-headed Hummingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Klais guimeti

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Green Hermit
LC

Green Hermit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phaethornis guy

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Black-crested Coquette
LC

Black-crested Coquette

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lophornis helenae

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Stripe-throated Hermit
LC

Stripe-throated Hermit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phaethornis striigularis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
LC

Violet-crowned Woodnymph

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalurania colombica

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer
LC

Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chalybura urochrysia

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Purple-crowned Fairy
LC

Purple-crowned Fairy

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Heliothryx barroti

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
White-necked Jacobin
LC

White-necked Jacobin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Florisuga mellivora

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Green Thorntail
LC

Green Thorntail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Discosura conversii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Blue-throated Sapphire
LC

Blue-throated Sapphire

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlorestes eliciae

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Long-billed Hermit
LC

Long-billed Hermit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phaethornis longirostris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
2 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
3 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
5 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
6 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
7 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
9 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
10 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
11 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~10%
12 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
13 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
14 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
15 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
16 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
18 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
19 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
22 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
24 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
25 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
29 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
30 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
31 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
32 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
33 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Scaly-breasted Hummingbird in Arenal Volcano National Park?

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly-breasted Hummingbird sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park, based on 4,729 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Scaly-breasted Hummingbird in Arenal Volcano National Park?

January has the highest sighting rate for Scaly-breasted Hummingbird in Arenal Volcano National Park in our monthly data.

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