Buff-tailed Coronet

Buff-tailed Coronet

Boissonneaua flavescens

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Los Nevados National Natural Park

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

871 Verified sightings at Los Nevados National Natural Park From 2019 to 2026
1,030 In all 3 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Buff-tailed Coronet

The buff-tailed coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens) is a species of hummingbird in the 'Brilliants' tribe Heliantheini, within the subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. The buff-tailed coronet shares genus Boissonneaua with two other coronets, the chestnut-breasted (B. matthewsii) and velvet-purple (B. jardini).

The buff-tailed coronet is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long and weighs 7.3 to 8.8 g (0.26 to 0.31 oz). Both sexes have a short, straight, black bill and a small white spot behind the eye. Males of the nominate subspecies are mostly shining green, with a buff belly accented by green spots. The underwing coverts are cinnamon and show in flight. The central tail feathers are bronzy and the rest are buff with bronze tips and edges. It has small white tufts on the legs. The nominate female has more buff on the underparts and the bronze of the tail is less extensive. The buff parts of both sexes of B. f. tinochlora have a cinnamon cast and there is more bronze on the tail feathers' tips.

The nominate... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Agressive call and song0:08

Ecuador · 2022

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1151821 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:43

Ecuador · 2025

© Marc Anderson · XC987225 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:24

Ecuador · 2002

© Jonas Nilsson · XC262884 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

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

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Buff-tailed Coronet in Los Nevados National Natural Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Buff-tailed Coronet sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 871 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 54th most-seen of the 424 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 Buff-tailed Coronet in Los Nevados National Natural Park?

November

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Buff-tailed Coronet in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, against about 10% in June–August and December–March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Buff-tailed Coronet?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Buff-tailed Coronet sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Los Nevados National Natural Park the best place to see a Buff-tailed Coronet?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Buff-tailed Coronet sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%) and Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Buff-tailed Coronet live in Los Nevados National Natural Park?

Same family: Trochilidae

The closest relatives of the Buff-tailed Coronet that you can see in Los Nevados National Natural Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Shining Sunbeam (about 40%), Great Sapphirewing (about 40%) and Golden-breasted Puffleg (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Buff-tailed Coronet sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Buff-tailed Coronet is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (871 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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