Heliothryx barroti
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The purple-crowned fairy (Heliothryx barroti) is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae, the mangoes. It is found from southeastern Mexico south into northern Peru. The purple-crowned fairy was originally described as Trochilus Barroti. It and the black-eared fairy (Heliothryx auritus) were treated as conspecific by some authors but are now considered to be a superspecies; they are the only members of the genus. Its scientific name commemorates Adolphe Barrot (1801–1870), a French diplomat who served in Colombia from 1831 to 1835.
The purple-crowned fairy is monotypic. The purple-crowned fairy is 9 to 13 cm (3.5 to 5.1 in) long and weighs about 5.5 g (0.19 oz). It is slender and has bright emerald green upperparts, pure white underparts, and a long pointed tail which has blue-black central and white outer feathers. It has a black patch through the eye and the bill is short, straight, and black. The male has a metallic violet forecrown; the eye patch has a metallic violet spot behind it and bright emerald green below it. The female has a green crown and the face has less black, no violet spot, and no green below the black... Wikipedia →
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-crowned Fairy sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 2,622 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 87th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and May–January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-crowned Fairy in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February and April, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-crowned Fairy 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 32 parks where we can rate Purple-crowned Fairy sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 4th at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 20%), Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 20%) and Darién National Park (Panama, about 20%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Purple-crowned Fairy 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 Purple-crowned Fairy is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (2,622 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.
