Discosura conversii
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The green thorntail (Discosura conversii) is a small hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama. The green thorntail and three other species were at one time placed in genus Popelairia but since the late 1900s that genus has been merged into the present Discosura. Some authors have further merged Discosura into Lophornis but this treatment has not been widely accepted. Though early authors proposed two subspecies for the green thorntail, current taxonomies treat it as monotypic.
Male green thorntails are about 9.5 to 10.2 cm (3.7 to 4.0 in) long and females about 6.6 to 7.5 cm (2.6 to 3.0 in). Five individuals whose sex was not recorded had an average weight of 3.0 g (0.11 oz). The adult male has a dark green crown and a lighter more metallic green back. The coppery bronze rump has bluish black inclusions and a white band across it. The bluish black tail is deeply forked and the outer feathers are very narrow, giving the species its common name. The throat is bright metallic green and the breast and belly mostly darker green with the center of the breast... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 9 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Green Thorntail sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 1,340 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 150th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Green Thorntail in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May and September, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green Thorntail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Green Thorntail sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (Colombia, about 50%) and Poás Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Green Thorntail 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 Green Thorntail is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (1,340 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.
