Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The purple-throated cotinga (Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema) is a species of bird in the cotinga family, Cotingidae. It is found in the western Amazon rainforest of South America; its range extends from southern Colombia south through eastern Ecuador and Peru and east through extreme northwestern Bolivia and into western Amazonian Brazil. It lives in the canopy or along the borders of humid forest throughout its range. The purple-throated cotinga is monotypic within the genus Porphyrolaema and has no known subspecies. It is one of the smaller cotinga species and expresses strong sexual dimorphism. Males have black upperparts with a bold white wingstripe and white edges to the tertial feathers and a white belly with some black barring on the rear flanks. The throat is a deep purple, giving the bird both its common and scientific names. Females are dark brown with pale buffy margins on the upperparts, buffy cinnamon with black barring on the underparts, and rufous on the throat. The male has a powerful voice.
Little research has been done on this species, and not much is known about its ecology. The purple-throated cotinga is primarily frugivorous, although it does occasionally eat small insects. A solitary male attracts a female by perching in the canopy and letting the sunlight reflect off its iridescent feathers. It is suspected to breed year-round and is non-migratory. Despite being considered naturally uncommon or rare across its vast range, the purple-throated cotinga is listed as a species of Least Concern. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 4 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-throated Cotinga sighting in Amacayacu National Natural Park on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 331st most-seen of the 436 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-throated Cotinga in Amacayacu National Natural Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–April and June–December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-throated Cotinga sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Purple-throated Cotinga sightings, Amacayacu National Natural Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Yasuní National Park (Ecuador, under 5%).
Same family: Cotingidae
The closest relatives of the Purple-throated Cotinga that you can see in Amacayacu National Natural Park (family Cotingidae, Cotingas) are Várzea Schiffornis (about 20%), White-winged Becard (about 20%) and Black-tailed Tityra (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple-throated Cotinga is recorded against all the birds logged in Amacayacu National Natural Park (21 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
