Black-eared Fairy
Heliothryx auritus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderApodiformes (Swifts and Hummingbirds)
- FamilyTrochilidae (Hummingbirds)
- GenusHeliothryx (Fairies)
- SpeciesHeliothryx auritus (Black-eared Fairy)
About the Black-eared Fairy
The black-eared fairy (Heliothryx auritus) is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae, the mangoes. It is found in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The black-eared fairy was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other hummingbirds in the genus Trochilus and coined the binomial name Trochilus auritus. Gmelin based his description on "Le grand oiseau-mouche de Cayenne" that had been described by Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 and "L'oiseau-mouche à oreilles" that had been described by the Comte de Buffon in 1779. The black-eared fairy is now placed with the purple-crowned fairy in the genus Heliothryx that was introduced in 1831 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek hēlios meaning "sun" with thrix meaning "hair". The specific epithet auritus is Latin meaning "-eared". The type locality is Cayenne, French Guiana.
Three subspecies are recognised: H. a. auritus (Gmelin, JF, 1788) – southeast Colombia and east Ecuador through Venezuela... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Black-eared Fairy in Chapada Diamantina National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Chapada Diamantina National Park
Glittering-bellied Emerald
Chlorostilbon lucidus
Hooded Visorbearer
Augastes lumachella
White-vented Violetear
Colibri serrirostris
Planalto Hermit
Phaethornis pretrei
Glittering-throated Emerald
Chionomesa fimbriata
Swallow-tailed Hummingbird
Eupetomena macroura
Horned Sungem
Heliactin bilophus
Violet-capped Woodnymph
Thalurania glaucopis
Reddish Hermit
Phaethornis ruber
Ruby-topaz Hummingbird
Chrysolampis mosquitus
Brown Violetear
Colibri delphinae
Amethyst Woodstar
Calliphlox amethystina
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brownsberg Nature Park | 🇸🇷 Suriname | |
| 2 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Canaima National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 4 | Madidi National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 5 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 7 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 8 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 9 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 10 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 11 | Cordillera Azul National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 12 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 13 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 14 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 15 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |