Lucifer Hummingbird
Calothorax lucifer
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderApodiformes (Swifts and Hummingbirds)
- FamilyTrochilidae (Hummingbirds)
- GenusCalothorax (Calothorax Sheartails)
- SpeciesCalothorax lucifer (Lucifer Hummingbird)
About the Lucifer Hummingbird
The lucifer sheartail or lucifer hummingbird (Calothorax lucifer) is a medium-sized, 10 cm long, green hummingbird with a slightly curved bill and distinctive outward flare of its gorget feathers. Its habitat is in high-altitude areas of northern Mexico and southwestern United States. It winters in central Mexico.
The lucifer sheartail was formally described in 1827 by the English zoologist William Swainson based on a specimen collected at Temascaltepec in central Mexico. Swainson placed the species in the genus Cynanthus and coined the binomial name Cynanthus lucifer. The specific epithet lucifer is Latin meaning "light-bearing" from lux, lucis meaning "light" and -fera meaning "-bearing". The lucifer sheartail is now placed with the beautiful sheartail in the genus Calothorax that was introduced in 1840 by the English zoologist George Robert Gray.
The lucifer sheartail is a medium-sized, 10-centimetre (3.9 in) long, green hummingbird with a long curved bill, small wings, and white streak behind its eye. The male has an iridescent plumage, forked dark tail, green crown, long magenta gorget, and white underparts. The female is larger with duller plumage... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Anna's Hummingbird
Calypte anna
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Cynanthus latirostris
Costa's Hummingbird
Calypte costae
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Archilochus alexandri
White-eared Hummingbird
Basilinna leucotis
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Lampornis clemenciae
Rufous Hummingbird
Selasphorus rufus
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Selasphorus platycercus
Calliope Hummingbird
Selasphorus calliope
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Leucolia violiceps
Rivoli's Hummingbird
Eugenes fulgens
White-throated Swift
Aeronautes saxatalis
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Lucifer Hummingbird in Saguaro National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lucifer Hummingbird sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lucifer Hummingbird in Saguaro National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Lucifer Hummingbird in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.