Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed HummingbirdRufous-tailed HummingbirdRufous-tailed HummingbirdRufous-tailed Hummingbird

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Amazilia tzacatl

Silhouette: PhyloPic · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
1,875 Verified sightings at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve From 2019 to 2026
59,757 Verified sightings across all 51 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

The rufous-tailed hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) is a medium-sized hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found from east-central Mexico through Central America and Colombia into Ecuador and Venezuela.

The rufous-tailed hummingbird was formally described in 1833 by the Mexican naturalist Pablo de La Llave. He placed it in the genus Trochlilus and coined the binomial name Trochilus tzacatl. The rufous-tailed hummingbird is now placed in the genus Amazilia and was introduced in 1843 by the French naturalist René Lesson. The genus name comes from the Inca heroine in Jean-François Marmontel's novel Les Incas, ou la destruction de l'Empire du Pérou. The specific epithet is from Aztec mythology: Tzacatl was a warrior chief.

The rufous-tailed hummingbird has these five recognized subspecies: A. t. tzacatl (La Llave, 1833) A. t. handleyi Wetmore, 1963 A. t. fuscicaudata (Fraser, 1840) A. t. brehmi Weller & Schuchmann, 1999 A. t. jucunda (Heine, 1863)

A. t. handleyi was originally described as a separate species, the Escudo hummingbird. At least one author treated the rufous-tailed hummingbird and the chestnut-bellied hummingbird (Saucerottia... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Cinnamon Hummingbird
LC

Cinnamon Hummingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Amazilia rutila

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Lesser Violetear

Lesser Violetear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colibri cyanotus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Purple-throated Mountain-gem
LC

Purple-throated Mountain-gem

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lampornis calolaemus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
LC

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Eupherusa eximia

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Violet Sabrewing
LC

Violet Sabrewing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Campylopterus hemileucurus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Coppery-headed Emerald
Endemic

Coppery-headed Emerald

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Microchera cupreiceps

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Green-crowned Brilliant
LC

Green-crowned Brilliant

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Heliodoxa jacula

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Magenta-throated Woodstar
LC

Magenta-throated Woodstar

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calliphlox bryantae

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Blue-vented Hummingbird

Blue-vented Hummingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saucerottia hoffmanni

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Green Hermit
LC

Green Hermit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phaethornis guy

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Canivet's Emerald
LC

Canivet's Emerald

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cynanthus canivetii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Snowcap
LC

Snowcap

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Microchera albocoronata

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~70%
2 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~70%
3 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~70%
4 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~70%
5 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~70%
6 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~60%
7 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~60%
8 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~60%
9 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~60%
10 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~60%
11 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~60%
12 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~60%
13 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
14 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~50%
15 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
16 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~40%
17 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~40%
18 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
19 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~40%
20 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
21 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
22 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
23 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~40%
24 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
25 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~30%
26 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
27 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
28 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
29 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
30 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
31 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
32 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
33 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
34 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%
35 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
36 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
37 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
38 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
39 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
40 Puracé National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
41 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
42 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
43 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
44 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
45 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
46 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
47 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
48 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
49 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
50 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
51 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, based on 1,875 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Rufous-tailed Hummingbird in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?

September has the highest sighting rate for Rufous-tailed Hummingbird in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in our monthly data.

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