Chalcostigma herrani
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The rainbow-bearded thornbill (Chalcostigma herrani) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The rainbow-bearded thornbill was formally described in 1846 by the French ornithologists Adolphe Delattre and Jules Bourcier from specimens collected near the town of Pasto in southwest Colombia. They coined the binomial name Trochilus herrani. This bird is now one of five species placed in the genus Chalcostigma that was introduced in 1854 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach. (The South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society is considering a proposal to merge the genus into Oxypogon).
The genus name derives from the Greek khalkos ″bronze″ and stigma ″mark″. The specific epithet herrani was chosen to honor the Colombian general and statesman Pedro Alcántara Herrán. Two subspecies are recognised: Males weigh about 6.2 g (0.22 oz) and females 5.6 g (0.20 oz). Both... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rainbow-bearded Thornbill sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 1,780 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rainbow-bearded Thornbill in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, against about 20% in June and August–December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rainbow-bearded 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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Rainbow-bearded Thornbill sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, about 10%) and Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Rainbow-bearded 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 Rainbow-bearded Thornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (1,780 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.
