Ramphomicron microrhynchum
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The purple-backed thornbill (Ramphomicron microrhynchum) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The purple-backed thornbill shares its genus with the black-backed thornbill (R. dorsale). It has these four subspecies:
The purple-backed thornbill is 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) long and weighs about 3.5 g (0.12 oz). Both sexes have a black bill, the shortest of any hummingbird. Males of the nominate subspecies have metallic violet-purple upperparts with a white spot behind the eye. Their gorget is iridescent golden green, the underparts bronzy green, and the undertail coverts coppery with tawny fringes. The tail is moderately long, forked, and dark purple. Nominate females have shining green upperparts, and like the male, a white spot behind the eye. Their underparts are white with green dots except on the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-backed Thornbill sighting in Quito on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 139th most-seen of the 167 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-backed Thornbill in Quito on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-backed Thornbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Quito, in our data
Quito is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Purple-backed Thornbill sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Purple-backed Thornbill that you can see in Quito (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Sparkling Violetear (over 90%), Black-tailed Trainbearer (about 80%) and White-bellied Woodstar (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple-backed Thornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Quito (10 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.
