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 Los Nevados National Natural Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Los Nevados National Natural Park
Sparkling Violetear
Colibri coruscans
Brown Violetear
Colibri delphinae
Shining Sunbeam
Aglaeactis cupripennis
Great Sapphirewing
Pterophanes cyanopterus
Golden-breasted Puffleg
Eriocnemis mosquera
Buff-winged Starfrontlet
Coeligena lutetiae
Viridian Metaltail
Metallura williami
Rainbow-bearded Thornbill
Chalcostigma herrani
Buffy Helmetcrest
Oxypogon stuebelii
Tyrian Metaltail
Metallura tyrianthina
Tourmaline Sunangel
Heliangelus exortis
Black-thighed Puffleg
Eriocnemis derbyi
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 Los Nevados National Natural Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Violetear sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park, based on 542 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lesser Violetear in Los Nevados National Natural Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Lesser Violetear in Los Nevados National Natural Park in our monthly data.