Tyrian Metaltail

Tyrian Metaltail

Metallura tyrianthina

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Quito

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

373 Verified sightings at Quito
2,246 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Tyrian Metaltail

The Tyrian metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Lesbiinae, the brilliants and coquettes. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The Tyrian metaltail has these seven subspecies:

The Tyrian metaltail is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 2.7 to 5.1 g (0.10 to 0.18 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a short, straight, black bill. The male of the nominate subspecies has bottle green upperparts and gray underparts with pale fringes on the feathers. It has an emerald green throat and a slightly forked glistening bronze tail. The female is also bottle green above. Its throat and upper breast are ochre-orange with olive green spots and the lower breast and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:46

Ecuador · 2024

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1142809 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:14

Colombia · 2021

© Mauricio Cuellar Ramirez (@Birding.travel) · XC695033 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song?0:44

Colombia · 2010

© Peter Boesman · XC273776 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~60%
2 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
3 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
4 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Quito 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%
2 Bogota 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
3 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tyrian Metaltail in Quito?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tyrian Metaltail sighting in Quito on a given day, based on 373 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 29th most-seen of the 167 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 Tyrian Metaltail in Quito?

June and September

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Tyrian Metaltail in Quito on a given day, against about 10% in April–May and July–August, the lowest months. Those are among Quito's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 180 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see a Tyrian Metaltail?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tyrian Metaltail 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 Quito the best place to see a Tyrian Metaltail?

Yes

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Tyrian Metaltail sightings, Quito has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Bogota (Colombia, under 5%) and Medellín (Colombia, under 5%).

Where does the Tyrian Metaltail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tyrian Metaltail is recorded against all the birds logged in Quito (373 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.

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