Heliothryx barroti
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The purple-crowned fairy (Heliothryx barroti) is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae, the mangoes. It is found from southeastern Mexico south into northern Peru. The purple-crowned fairy was originally described as Trochilus Barroti. It and the black-eared fairy (Heliothryx auritus) were treated as conspecific by some authors but are now considered to be a superspecies; they are the only members of the genus. Its scientific name commemorates Adolphe Barrot (1801–1870), a French diplomat who served in Colombia from 1831 to 1835.
The purple-crowned fairy is monotypic. The purple-crowned fairy is 9 to 13 cm (3.5 to 5.1 in) long and weighs about 5.5 g (0.19 oz). It is slender and has bright emerald green upperparts, pure white underparts, and a long pointed tail which has blue-black central and white outer feathers. It has a black patch through the eye and the bill is short, straight, and black. The male has a metallic violet forecrown; the eye patch has a metallic violet spot behind it and bright emerald green below it. The female has a green crown and the face has less black, no violet spot, and no green below the black... Wikipedia →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-crowned Fairy sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 87 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 152nd most-seen of the 329 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-crowned Fairy in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-crowned Fairy sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
21st of 32
Of the 32 parks where we can rate Purple-crowned Fairy sightings, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge ranks 21st at about 10%. The best odds are in Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 20%), Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 20%) and Darién National Park (Panama, about 20%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Purple-crowned Fairy 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 Purple-crowned Fairy is recorded against all the birds logged in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (87 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.
