Chaetocercus berlepschi
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The Esmeraldas woodstar (Chaetocercus berlepschi) is a rare, neotropical species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. There are six different species in the woodstar genus. Most of them are poorly studied due to their small size, extremely similar resemblance to each other, and rarity. Esmeraldas woodstars are one of the smallest bird species. They are sexually dimorphic. The main difference between sexes is that males have a bright purple throat. Esmeraldas woodstars are found only on the Pacific coast of west Ecuador in semi-deciduous to evergreen forests. They feed on the nectar of flowering shrubs and trees. The main threat to this species is deforestation. Esmeraldas woodstars are Vulnerable and require habitat protection.
The Esmeraldas woodstar belongs to the family Trochilidae and the genus Chaetocercus. There are six species in this genus: the Esmeraldas woodstar (C. berlepschi), the white-bellied woodstar (C. mulsant), the little woodstar (C. bombus), the Santa Marta woodstar (C. astreans), the gorgeted woodstar (C. heliodor), and the rufous-shafted woodstar (C. jourdanii). Previously, these species (besides the rufous-shafted woodstar) were categorized... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Esmeraldas Woodstar sighting in Machalilla National Park on a given day, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 77th most-seen of the 248 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February to April
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Esmeraldas Woodstar in Machalilla National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–September and November, the lowest months. Those are among Machalilla National Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain a month against 5 mm in September.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Esmeraldas Woodstar sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Machalilla National Park, in our data
Machalilla National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Esmeraldas Woodstar sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Esmeraldas Woodstar that you can see in Machalilla National Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Emerald Hummingbird (about 50%), Short-tailed Woodstar (about 20%) and Long-billed Starthroat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Esmeraldas Woodstar is recorded against all the birds logged in Machalilla National Park (97 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.
