Violet-headed Hummingbird
Violet-headed HummingbirdViolet-headed HummingbirdViolet-headed HummingbirdViolet-headed Hummingbird

Violet-headed Hummingbird

Klais guimeti

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Arenal Volcano National Park
5,993 Verified sightings at Arenal Volcano National Park From 2019 to 2026
11,685 Verified sightings across all 28 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Violet-headed Hummingbird

The violet-headed hummingbird (Klais guimeti) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is the only species in the genus Klais. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

The violet-headed hummingbird was formally described in 1843 by the French ornithologist Jules Bourcier from specimens collected near Caracas in Venezuela. Bourcier coined the binomial name Trochilus guimeti. The violet-headed hummingbird is now the only species placed in the genus Klais that was introduced in 1854 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach. The genus is named after Kleis (or Cleis), the daughter of the Lesbian poet Sappho. The specific name was chosen to honour the French chemist Jean-Baptiste Guimet.

Three subspecies are recognised: K. g. merrittii (Lawrence, 1860) – east Honduras to east Panama K. g. guimeti (Bourcier, 1843) – east Colombia and north Venezuela to east Ecuador and extreme north Peru K. g. pallidiventris Stolzmann, 1926 – east Peru and west Bolivia

Violet-headed hummingbirds are on average 8.1 cm (3.2 in) in length with a... 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
Scaly-breasted Hummingbird
LC

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phaeochroa cuvierii

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 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
2 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
3 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
4 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
5 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%
6 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
7 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
8 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%
9 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
10 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
11 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~10%
12 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
13 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
14 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
16 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
18 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
19 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
20 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
22 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
23 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
24 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
25 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
26 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
27 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
28 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Violet-headed Hummingbird in Arenal Volcano National Park?

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Violet-headed Hummingbird sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park, based on 5,993 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Violet-headed Hummingbird in Arenal Volcano National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Violet-headed Hummingbird in Arenal Volcano National Park in our monthly data.

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