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 Manu National Park
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Colibri coruscans
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Thalurania furcata
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Chrysuronia oenone
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Campylopterus largipennis
Sapphire-spangled Emerald
Chionomesa lactea
White-necked Jacobin
Florisuga mellivora
White-bearded Hermit
Phaethornis hispidus
Violet-fronted Brilliant
Heliodoxa leadbeateri
Rufous-booted Racket-tail
Ocreatus addae
Gould's Jewelfront
Heliodoxa aurescens
Many-spotted Hummingbird
Taphrospilus hypostictus
Speckled Hummingbird
Adelomyia melanogenys
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 Manu National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Violetear sighting in Manu National Park, based on 596 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lesser Violetear in Manu National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Lesser Violetear in Manu National Park in our monthly data.