Heliomaster longirostris
Silhouette: Cristian Gutierrez-Ibanez · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The long-billed starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris) is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and all but the four southernmost countries of South America.
At one time the long-billed starthroat was placed in genus Anthoscenus but since the mid-1900s has had its current placement in Heliomaster. The long-billed starthroat is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long. Males weigh 5.5 to 7.1 g (0.19 to 0.25 oz) and females about 6.5 g (0.23 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a long, almost straight, black bill and a small white spot behind the eye.
Males of the nominate subspecies have a glittering blue to greenish blue crown; the rest of its upperparts are dark bronzy green with the exception of a white stripe down the center of the rump. The face is black below the crown and has a white malar stripe below the black. Its tail is rather short and square-tipped. The feathers are bronzy green near the body and black away from it, and the outer... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 3 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-billed Starthroat sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 317th most-seen of the 329 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-billed Starthroat in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-billed Starthroat sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
31st of 34
Of the 34 parks where we can rate Long-billed Starthroat sightings, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge ranks 31st at under 5%. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, about 10%), Machalilla National Park (Ecuador, about 10%) and El Triunfo (Mexico, about 10%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Long-billed Starthroat that you can see in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (about 50%), Long-billed Hermit (about 40%) and Stripe-throated Hermit (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-billed Starthroat is recorded against all the birds logged in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (7 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.
