Campylopterus hemileucurus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The violet sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of the subfamily Trochilinae. It is found from Mexico to Panama. The violet sabrewing is the largest hummingbird of Mexico and Central America. It is 13 to 15 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 9 to 12 g (0.32 to 0.42 oz). Both sexes have a black bill, though those of subspecies C. h. mellitus are longer than the nominate's. Males of the nominate subspecies have a dusky crown with a bluish green gloss. Their nape and upper back, face, and underparts are metallic violet blue that is somewhat bluer on the belly. Their lower back and uppertail coverts are metallic green. Their central tail feathers are bluish green to bluish black and the rest blackish with wide white tips. Females have a dusky crown and metallic green to bronze green upperparts with a more bluish green rump. They have a violet blue throat. Their underparts are mostly gray with a whiter belly and metallic green spots along the sides and green undertail coverts. Their... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 7 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 9 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 10 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 13 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 15 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 16 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 17 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 18 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 19 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 20 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 21 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 3 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Sabrewing sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 6,845 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 412 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–April and July–August
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Sabrewing in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against about 30% in October and November, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Violet Sabrewing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 21
Of the 21 parks where we can rate Violet Sabrewing sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Poás Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 80%) and Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Violet Sabrewing that you can see in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Lesser Violetear (about 60%), Purple-throated Mountain-gem (about 50%) and Stripe-tailed Hummingbird (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Violet Sabrewing is recorded against all the birds logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (6,845 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.
