Ramphomicron microrhynchum
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The purple-backed thornbill (Ramphomicron microrhynchum) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The purple-backed thornbill shares its genus with the black-backed thornbill (R. dorsale). It has these four subspecies:
The purple-backed thornbill is 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) long and weighs about 3.5 g (0.12 oz). Both sexes have a black bill, the shortest of any hummingbird. Males of the nominate subspecies have metallic violet-purple upperparts with a white spot behind the eye. Their gorget is iridescent golden green, the underparts bronzy green, and the undertail coverts coppery with tawny fringes. The tail is moderately long, forked, and dark purple. Nominate females have shining green upperparts, and like the male, a white spot behind the eye. Their underparts are white with green dots except on the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-backed Thornbill sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 803 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 61st 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.
May–August and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-backed Thornbill in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, against about 10% in January–April and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-backed Thornbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Purple-backed Thornbill sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Purple-backed Thornbill 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.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple-backed Thornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (803 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.
