Heliomaster longirostris
Silhouette: Cristian Gutierrez-Ibanez · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The long-billed starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris) is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and all but the four southernmost countries of South America.
At one time the long-billed starthroat was placed in genus Anthoscenus but since the mid-1900s has had its current placement in Heliomaster. The long-billed starthroat is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long. Males weigh 5.5 to 7.1 g (0.19 to 0.25 oz) and females about 6.5 g (0.23 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a long, almost straight, black bill and a small white spot behind the eye.
Males of the nominate subspecies have a glittering blue to greenish blue crown; the rest of its upperparts are dark bronzy green with the exception of a white stripe down the center of the rump. The face is black below the crown and has a white malar stripe below the black. Its tail is rather short and square-tipped. The feathers are bronzy green near the body and black away from it, and the outer... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 3 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-billed Starthroat sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 341 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 270th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, August–September and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long-billed Starthroat in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July, October and December–April, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-billed 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.
13th of 34
Of the 34 parks where we can rate Long-billed Starthroat sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 13th at under 5%. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, about 10%), Machalilla National Park (Ecuador, about 10%) and El Triunfo (Mexico, about 10%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Long-billed Starthroat 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 Long-billed Starthroat is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (341 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.
