Colibri coruscans
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The sparkling violetear (Colibri coruscans) is a species of hummingbird widespread in highlands of northern and western South America, including a large part of the Andes (from Argentina and northwards), the Venezuelan Coastal Range, and the Tepuis. It occurs in a wide range of semi-open habitats, even in gardens and parks within major cities such as Quito, and is often the most common species of hummingbird in its range. It is highly vocal and territorial.
Other subspecies have been proposed to be separated from those two but that treatment has not been widely accepted. The sparkling violetear is the largest violetear at 13 to 14 cm (5 to 5.5 in) long. Male birds weigh 5.8 to 8.5 g (0.20 to 0.30 oz) and females 6 to 7.5 g (0.21 to 0.26 oz). The nominate male's upperparts are metallic bluish green, the chin bluish violet, the belly blue, and the rest of the underparts green. Long erectile bluish violet plumes cover the ears. The tail is metallic green with a steely blue band near the end. Females are similar but smaller, and often have a white... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 6 | Lauca National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 7 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 8 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Oasi Naturalistica di Sant'Alessio | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 3 | Butterfly World | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sparkling Violetear sighting in Lauca National Park on a given day, based on 38 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 88th most-seen of the 112 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Sparkling Violetear in Lauca National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, April, June–September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Lauca National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 150 mm in January.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sparkling Violetear sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Sparkling Violetear sightings, Lauca National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, about 30%), Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%) and Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, about 20%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Sparkling Violetear that you can see in Lauca National Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Andean Hillstar (about 50%) and Giant Hummingbird (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sparkling Violetear is recorded against all the birds logged in Lauca National Park (38 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.
