Violet-headed Hummingbird

Violet-headed Hummingbird

Klais guimeti

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Tenorio Volcano National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%

1,609 Verified sightings at Tenorio Volcano National Park From 2019 to 2026
11,698 In all 21 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Violet-headed Hummingbird

The violet-headed hummingbird (Klais guimeti) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is the only species in the genus Klais. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

The violet-headed hummingbird was formally described in 1843 by the French ornithologist Jules Bourcier from specimens collected near Caracas in Venezuela. Bourcier coined the binomial name Trochilus guimeti. The violet-headed hummingbird is now the only species placed in the genus Klais that was introduced in 1854 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach. The genus is named after Kleis (or Cleis), the daughter of the Lesbian poet Sappho. The specific name was chosen to honour the French chemist Jean-Baptiste Guimet.

Three subspecies are recognised: Violet-headed hummingbirds are on average 8.1 cm (3.2 in) in length with a... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:21

Ecuador · 2024

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1152702 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Recording0:43

Venezuela · 2021

© Rafael Gianni · XC683731 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:27

Costa Rica · 2019

© Johan Chaves · XC453058 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
2 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
3 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
4 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
5 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%
6 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
7 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
9 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
10 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%
11 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
13 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
14 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
16 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
18 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
19 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Caracas 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
2 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Violet-headed Hummingbird in Tenorio Volcano National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Violet-headed Hummingbird sighting in Tenorio Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 1,609 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 29th most-seen of the 444 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Violet-headed Hummingbird in Tenorio Volcano National Park?

August

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Violet-headed Hummingbird in Tenorio Volcano National Park on a given day, against about 20% in November, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Violet-headed Hummingbird?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Violet-headed Hummingbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Tenorio Volcano National Park the best place to see a Violet-headed Hummingbird?

Among the best

Of the 21 parks where we can rate Violet-headed Hummingbird sightings, Tenorio Volcano National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Violet-headed Hummingbird live in Tenorio Volcano National Park?

Same family: Trochilidae

The closest relatives of the Violet-headed Hummingbird that you can see in Tenorio Volcano National Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (about 70%), Blue-throated Sapphire (about 30%) and Stripe-throated Hermit (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Violet-headed Hummingbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Violet-headed Hummingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Tenorio Volcano National Park (1,609 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.

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