Tyrian Metaltail
Metallura tyrianthina
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderApodiformes (Swifts and Hummingbirds)
- FamilyTrochilidae (Hummingbirds)
- GenusMetallura (Metaltails)
- SpeciesMetallura tyrianthina (Tyrian Metaltail)
About the Tyrian Metaltail
The Tyrian metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Lesbiinae, the brilliants and coquettes. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The Tyrian metaltail has these seven subspecies:
M. t. districta Bangs (1899) M. t. chloropogon Cabanis & Heine (1860) M. t. oreopola Todd (1913) M. t. tyrianthina Loddiges (1832) M. t. quitensis Gould (1861) M. t. septentrionalis Hartert, E. (1899) M. t. smaragdinicollis d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye (1838)
In the early twentieth century some authors treated M. t. chloropogon and M. t. smaragdinicollis as full species but that treatment has not been widely accepted. The Tyrian metaltail is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 2.7 to 5.1 g (0.10 to 0.18 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a short, straight, black bill. The male of the nominate subspecies has bottle green upperparts and gray underparts with pale fringes on the feathers. It has an emerald green throat and a slightly forked glistening bronze tail. The female is also bottle green above. Its throat and upper breast are ochre-orange with olive green spots and the lower breast and... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Tyrian Metaltail in Cajas National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Cajas National Park
Violet-throated Metaltail
Metallura baroni
Viridian Metaltail
Metallura williami
Blue-mantled Thornbill
Chalcostigma stanleyi
Ecuadorian Hillstar
Oreotrochilus chimborazo
Shining Sunbeam
Aglaeactis cupripennis
Rainbow Starfrontlet
Coeligena iris
Mountain Velvetbreast
Lafresnaya lafresnayi
Purple-throated Sunangel
Heliangelus viola
Great Sapphirewing
Pterophanes cyanopterus
Coppery-naped Puffleg
Eriocnemis luciani
Sparkling Violetear
Colibri coruscans
Lesser Violetear
Colibri cyanotus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Cajas National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Puracé National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Huascarán National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 6 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 7 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 8 | Madidi National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 9 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 10 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 11 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Tyrian Metaltail in Cajas National Park?
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tyrian Metaltail sighting in Cajas National Park, based on 298 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Tyrian Metaltail in Cajas National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Tyrian Metaltail in Cajas National Park in our monthly data.