Green Thorntail

Green Thorntail

Discosura conversii

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at La Amistad International Park (Panama)

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

114 Verified sightings at La Amistad International Park (Panama) From 2019 to 2026
5,022 In all 9 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Green Thorntail

The green thorntail (Discosura conversii) is a small hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama. The green thorntail and three other species were at one time placed in genus Popelairia but since the late 1900s that genus has been merged into the present Discosura. Some authors have further merged Discosura into Lophornis but this treatment has not been widely accepted. Though early authors proposed two subspecies for the green thorntail, current taxonomies treat it as monotypic.

Male green thorntails are about 9.5 to 10.2 cm (3.7 to 4.0 in) long and females about 6.6 to 7.5 cm (2.6 to 3.0 in). Five individuals whose sex was not recorded had an average weight of 3.0 g (0.11 oz). The adult male has a dark green crown and a lighter more metallic green back. The coppery bronze rump has bluish black inclusions and a white band across it. The bluish black tail is deeply forked and the outer feathers are very narrow, giving the species its common name. The throat is bright metallic green and the breast and belly mostly darker green with the center of the breast... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:12

Ecuador · 2015

© Jerome Fischer · XC233973 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:12

Ecuador · 2010

© Andrew Spencer · XC58603 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Call0:30

Ecuador · 2024

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1162562 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~50%
2 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
3 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
7 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
8 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
9 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Green Thorntail in La Amistad International Park (Panama)?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Green Thorntail sighting in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, based on 114 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 455th most-seen of the 657 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Green Thorntail in La Amistad International Park (Panama)?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Green Thorntail in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Green Thorntail?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green Thorntail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Which relatives of the Green Thorntail live in La Amistad International Park (Panama)?

Same family: Trochilidae

The closest relatives of the Green Thorntail that you can see in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (about 50%), Lesser Violetear (about 20%) and Violet Sabrewing (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Green Thorntail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Green Thorntail is recorded against all the birds logged in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (114 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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