Purple-throated Woodstar

Purple-throated Woodstar

Calliphlox mitchellii

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Farallones de Cali National Natural Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

559 Verified sightings at Farallones de Cali National Natural Park From 2019 to 2026
599 In all 2 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Purple-throated Woodstar

The purple-throated woodstar (Philodice mitchellii) is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. The purple-throated woodstar is placed in genus Philodice by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), the Clements taxonomy, and the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS). According to them, it shares the genus with the magenta-throated woodstar (P. bryantae). However, the North American Classification Committee of AOS and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World retain them in the older genus Calliphlox.

All the taxonomies agree that the purple-throated woodstar is monotypic. The purple-throated woodstar is 6.8 to 7.5 cm (2.7 to 3.0 in) long and weighs 3.0 to 3.3 g (0.11 to 0.12 oz). Both sexes have a short, straight, black bill. Both have dusky bronze-green upperparts with a white patch on either side of the rump. The male has a small white spot behind the eye and the female a downward curved white line there. The male's gorget is shining violet-purple with a white... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Foraging calls0:08

Ecuador · 2023

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1149969 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Wing hum0:22

Ecuador · 1998

© John V. Moore · XC257869 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:29

Ecuador · 2010

© Daniel Lane · XC88165 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
2 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cali 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Purple-throated Woodstar in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-throated Woodstar sighting in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park on a given day, based on 559 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 90th most-seen of the 542 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Purple-throated Woodstar in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park?

April

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-throated Woodstar in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park on a given day, against about 10% in March, May–June and October–December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Purple-throated Woodstar?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-throated Woodstar 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 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park the best place to see a Purple-throated Woodstar?

Yes

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Purple-throated Woodstar sightings, Farallones de Cali National Natural Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Purple-throated Woodstar live in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park?

Same family: Trochilidae

The closest relatives of the Purple-throated Woodstar that you can see in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Violet-crowned Woodnymph (about 70%), White-necked Jacobin (about 60%) and Brown Violetear (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Purple-throated Woodstar sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Purple-throated Woodstar is recorded against all the birds logged in Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (559 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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