Lesser Violetear
Colibri cyanotus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderApodiformes (Swifts and Hummingbirds)
- FamilyTrochilidae (Hummingbirds)
- GenusColibri (Violetears)
- SpeciesColibri cyanotus (Lesser Violetear)
About the Lesser Violetear
The lesser violetear (Colibri cyanotus), also known as the mountain violet-ear, is a medium-sized, metallic green hummingbird species commonly found in forested areas from Costa Rica south to the Andes and Argentina and east to Venezuela. This species and the Mexican violetear were formerly considered as conspecific and named the 'green violetear'.
Like all hummingbirds, the lesser violetear belongs to the order Apodiformes. Hummingbirds share this order with the swifts, such as the white-collared swift. The name Apodiformes is derived from the Greek words "a pous", meaning "without foot". While apodiforms do in fact have feet, they are quite small and their legs are short and relatively weak. Many birds in this order cannot walk, and thus rarely if ever land on the ground since quick escape from predators is virtually impossible. For this reason members of this order spend a majority of their time in the air.
The lesser violetear has four sub-species: C. c. cabanidis (Heine), 1863) - Costa Rica, western Panama C. c. crissalis Todd, 1942 - Peru and Bolivia C. c. cyanotus (Bourcier, 1843) - Colombia, northwestern Venezuela, Ecuador
C.... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Lesser Violetear in Chingaza National Natural Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Chingaza National Natural Park
Sparkling Violetear
Colibri coruscans
Brown Violetear
Colibri delphinae
Tyrian Metaltail
Metallura tyrianthina
Glowing Puffleg
Eriocnemis vestita
Bronze-tailed Thornbill
Chalcostigma heteropogon
Longuemare's Amethyst-throated Sunangel
Heliangelus clarisse
Coppery-bellied Puffleg
Eriocnemis cupreoventris
Purple-backed Thornbill
Ramphomicron microrhynchum
Great Sapphirewing
Pterophanes cyanopterus
Blue-throated Starfrontlet
Coeligena helianthea
Long-tailed Sylph
Aglaiocercus kingii
Green-bellied Hummingbird
Saucerottia viridigaster
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Violetear in Chingaza National Natural Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Violetear sighting in Chingaza National Natural Park, based on 259 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lesser Violetear in Chingaza National Natural Park?
November has the highest sighting rate for Lesser Violetear in Chingaza National Natural Park in our monthly data.