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
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Recent sightings of Lesser Violetear in Chirripó National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Chirripó National Park
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Colibri delphinae
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Amazilia tzacatl
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Saucerottia edward
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Campylopterus hemileucurus
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Microchera chionura
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Lampornis castaneoventris
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Chlorostilbon assimilis
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Eupherusa eximia
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Lophornis adorabilis
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Heliodoxa jacula
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 Chirripó National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Violetear sighting in Chirripó National Park, based on 190 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lesser Violetear in Chirripó National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Lesser Violetear in Chirripó National Park in our monthly data.