Heliomaster furcifer
Silhouette: Cristian Gutierrez-Ibanez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The blue-tufted starthroat (Heliomaster furcifer) is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and possibly Ecuador.
At one time the blue-tufted starthroat was the only species in genus Heliomaster, but since the mid-1900s three other species have been reassigned to it. The blue-tufted starthroat is monotypic. The blue-tufted starthroat is 12.6 to 13 cm (5.0 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 5 to 6.5 g (0.18 to 0.23 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a long, decurved, black bill and a small white spot behind the eye. Both have a forked tail but the female's is less deeply indented than the male's. Males in breeding plumage have an emerald green crown, nape, and upper back; the rest of the upperparts are shining coppery green. The throat is glittering violet. The underparts and elongated feathers on the sides of the neck are iridescent ultramarine. The tail is dark green on its upper side and blue-green below. Non-breeding males are grayish below like females. Females have coppery green upperparts. The throat and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 5 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 4 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 6 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-tufted Starthroat sighting in Amboró National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 151st most-seen of the 273 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.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-tufted Starthroat in Amboró National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and October–May, the lowest months. That is one of Amboró National Park's driest months, with about 90 mm of rain against 340 mm in January. June has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-tufted Starthroat sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Blue-tufted Starthroat sightings, Amboró National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in El Palmar National Park (Argentina, about 20%), El Impenetrable National Park (Argentina, about 10%) and Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 10%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Blue-tufted Starthroat that you can see in Amboró National Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Fork-tailed Woodnymph (about 30%), White-bellied Hummingbird (about 20%) and Planalto Hermit (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue-tufted Starthroat is recorded against all the birds logged in Amboró National Park (16 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.
