Lophornis helenae
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The black-crested coquette (Lophornis helenae) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. The black-crested coquette was originally described as Ornismya helenae. Later it and the white-crested coquette (Lophornis adorabilis) were placed in genus Paphosia. The black-crested coquette is monotypic.
The black-crested coquette is 6.3 to 7.7 cm (2.5 to 3.0 in) long with an average weight of 2.6 to 2.8 g (0.092 to 0.099 oz). The adult male has a dark metallic green crown with a wispy greenish black crest. The nape and back are metallic bronze green; a white band separates the back from the sooty blackish rump and uppertail coverts. The central tail feathers are dull greenish bronze between their cinnamon rufous bases and dusky ends. The outer tail feathers are cinnamon rufous. The chin and upper throat are metallic yellowish green with a velvety black band below. The sides of the throat have tufts of buff feathers with velvety black margins. The breast is metallic bronze, the belly and flanks white with metallic bronze... Wikipedia →
Call0:09
Costa Rica · 2014
© Andrew Spencer · XC168734 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-crested Coquette sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 3,779 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 60th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-crested Coquette in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against about 10% in August–September and December, the lowest months. That is one of Arenal Volcano National Park's driest months, with about 180 mm of rain against 500 mm in November.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-crested Coquette sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Black-crested Coquette sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Black-crested Coquette that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (about 70%), Violet-headed Hummingbird (about 40%) and Scaly-breasted Hummingbird (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-crested Coquette is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (3,779 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.
