Plain-capped Starthroat

Plain-capped Starthroat

Heliomaster constantii

Silhouette: Cristian Gutierrez-Ibanez · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Cañón del Sumidero National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

163 Verified sightings at Cañón del Sumidero National Park From 2019 to 2026
800 In all 12 parks
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Plain-capped Starthroat

The plain-capped starthroat (Heliomaster constantii) is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found from Mexico to Costa Rica. The plain-capped starthroat is 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) long. Males weigh about 7.4 g (0.26 oz) and females about 7.2 g (0.25 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a long, almost straight, black bill and a white streak behind the eye. The sexes have essentially the same plumage.

The nominate subspecies has metallic bronze green upperparts with a wide white streak on the rump; the crown is less metallic than the rest. Much of the face is dusky, with a wide white "moustache". The chin is sooty to blackish and the gorget ranges from several shades of bright metallic red to purplish red. The underparts are browish gray with a white belly. The undertail coverts are pale gray with wide white tips. The flanks have a large tuft of white feathers. The central pair of tail feathers are bronze green with dusky ends and the rest bronze green... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:34

Mexico · 2019

© Richard E. Webster · XC512325 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:09

Costa Rica · 2017

© Albert Lastukhin · XC1091462 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Alarm call0:04

Mexico · 2020

© Isain Contreras Rodríguez · XC571028 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
2 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
3 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
7 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
8 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
9 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
10 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
11 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
12 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
2 San Salvador 🇸🇻 El Salvador
<5%
3 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Plain-capped Starthroat in Cañón del Sumidero National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Plain-capped Starthroat sighting in Cañón del Sumidero National Park on a given day, based on 163 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 61st most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Plain-capped Starthroat in Cañón del Sumidero National Park?

February

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Plain-capped Starthroat in Cañón del Sumidero National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June to October, the lowest months. That is one of Cañón del Sumidero National Park's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 260 mm in June.

What time of day is best to see a Plain-capped Starthroat?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Plain-capped 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.

Is Cañón del Sumidero National Park the best place to see a Plain-capped Starthroat?

Yes

Of the 12 parks where we can rate Plain-capped Starthroat sightings, Cañón del Sumidero National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Santa Rosa National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Las Baulas Marine National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).

Where does the Plain-capped Starthroat sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Plain-capped Starthroat is recorded against all the birds logged in Cañón del Sumidero National Park (163 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.

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