Pterophanes cyanopterus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The great sapphirewing (Pterophanes cyanopterus) is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The great sapphirewing is the only member of its genus. In the late 1900s it was suggested that Pterophanes be merged into genus Coeligena, but later work showed that those genera are not closely related.
The great sapphirewing has also been called Temminck's sapphirewing, páramo sapphirewing, and simply sapphirewing. The great sapphirewing is one of the largest hummingbirds; only the two of genus Topaza and the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas) are larger. It is 15.5 to 19 cm (6.1 to 7.5 in) long including the 3.6 cm (1.4 in) bill. Males weigh between 9.6 and 11.2 g (0.34 and 0.40 oz) and females 8.4 to 11 g (0.30 to 0.39 oz). Both sexes have a small white spot behind the eye. Males of the nominate subspecies have dark shining blue-green upperparts. The wing is mostly shining blue and the tail greenish black. The underparts are also blue-green... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Great Sapphirewing sighting in Podocarpus National Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 251st most-seen of the 446 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December and January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Sapphirewing in Podocarpus National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great Sapphirewing 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 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Great Sapphirewing sightings, Podocarpus National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, about 40%) and Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia, about 20%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Great Sapphirewing that you can see in Podocarpus National Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Collared Inca (about 40%), Amethyst-throated Sunangel (about 40%) and Chestnut-breasted Coronet (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great Sapphirewing is recorded against all the birds logged in Podocarpus National Park (43 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.
