Sephanoides sephaniodes
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The green-backed firecrown (Sephanoides sephaniodes) is a hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Argentina, mainland Chile, and the Juan Fernández Islands. The green-backed firecrown is monotypic. It shares its genus only with the Juan Fernandez firecrown (S. fernandensis). The specific epithet sephaniodes is sometimes misspelled sephanoides to match the genus.
The green-backed firecrown is 10 to 10.5 cm (3.9 to 4.1 in) long. Males weigh about 5.5 g (0.19 oz) and females about 5 g (0.18 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic, with larger, short-billed males, and smaller, longer-billed females. Adults of both sexes have bronzy green upperparts, slaty green wings and tails, and pale buff underparts with black and green spots. Adult males have the eponymous iridescent red-yellow crown. Juveniles of both sexes have rusty feather edges on the head and their underparts have a cinnamon tone. Because the young are sexually monochromatic, it is difficult to assign a sex to them.
The green-backed firecrown is found in Chile from south of the Atacama Region all the way... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 2 | Nahuel Huapi National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Green-backed Firecrown sighting in Mendoza on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 46th most-seen of the 69 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Green-backed Firecrown in Mendoza on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months. That is one of Mendoza's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 50 mm in February.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green-backed Firecrown sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Green-backed Firecrown sightings, Mendoza ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Santiago (Chile, about 40%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Green-backed Firecrown that you can see in Mendoza (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Red-tailed Comet (about 50%), Glittering-bellied Emerald (about 30%) and Sparkling Violetear (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Green-backed Firecrown is recorded against all the birds logged in Mendoza (26 verified sightings), 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.
