Green-backed Firecrown

Green-backed Firecrown

Sephanoides sephaniodes

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Santiago

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

5,625 Verified sightings at Santiago
960 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Green-backed Firecrown

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 →

Sounds

Call0:07

Chile · 2025

© Marc Anderson · XC1075701 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:34

Chile · 2021

© Andre Vielma · XC665427 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:20

Chile · 2020

© Cristian Pinto · XC551599 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
~80%
2 Nahuel Huapi National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
3 Tierra del Fuego National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
4 Torres del Paine National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Santiago 🇨🇱 Chile
~40%
2 Mendoza 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Green-backed Firecrown in Santiago?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Green-backed Firecrown sighting in Santiago on a given day, based on 5,625 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 15th most-seen of the 110 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Green-backed Firecrown in Santiago?

June

In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Green-backed Firecrown in Santiago on a given day, against under 5% in December and January, the lowest months. That is one of Santiago's wettest months, with about 65 mm of rain against 5 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a Green-backed Firecrown?

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.

Is Santiago the best place to see a Green-backed Firecrown?

Yes

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Green-backed Firecrown sightings, Santiago has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Mendoza (Argentina, about 10%).

Where does the Green-backed Firecrown sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Green-backed Firecrown is recorded against all the birds logged in Santiago (5,625 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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