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 Podocarpus National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Podocarpus National Park
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Colibri coruscans
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Colibri delphinae
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Coeligena torquata
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Heliangelus amethysticollis
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Boissonneaua matthewsii
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Heliangelus micraster
Many-spotted Hummingbird
Taphrospilus hypostictus
Violet-fronted Brilliant
Heliodoxa leadbeateri
Green Hermit
Phaethornis guy
Fork-tailed Woodnymph
Thalurania furcata
Violet-headed Hummingbird
Klais guimeti
Fawn-breasted Brilliant
Heliodoxa rubinoides
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 Podocarpus National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Violetear sighting in Podocarpus National Park, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lesser Violetear in Podocarpus National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Lesser Violetear in Podocarpus National Park in our monthly data.