Doryfera ludovicae
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The green-fronted lancebill (Doryfera ludovicae) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. Primarily known for its incredibly long bill and "glittering" green patch of feathers on its forehead, D. ludovicae is found in subtropical and tropical moist montane forest and prefers regions that include fast moving rivers and streams.
The green-fronted lancebill is generally known by its species name Doryfera ludovicae but has been divided into the two subspecies D. ludovicae ludovicae and D. ludovicae veraguensis due to variation in geographic distribution.
Originally placed in Phaethornithinae due its nest, recent examination of the genus has found it to be included in the "mango group" defined as including Androdon, Anthracothorax, Chrysolampis, Colibri, Doryfera, Eulampis, Heliactin, Heliothryx, Polytmus, and Schistes.
The most recent research has found evidence to suggest that Doryfera can be further refined into a monophyletic group consisting of three genera Doryfera, Schistes and, Colibri. The green-fronted lancebill, as the name suggests, is distinguished by a "glittering" green patch of feathers on their forehead. Between males and females... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 6 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Green-fronted Lancebill sighting in Volcán Barú National Park on a given day, based on 81 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 144th most-seen of the 296 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, June, August and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Green-fronted Lancebill in Volcán Barú National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July, September–October and December–March, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green-fronted Lancebill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Green-fronted Lancebill sightings, Volcán Barú National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, about 10%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Green-fronted Lancebill that you can see in Volcán Barú National Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are White-throated Mountain-gem (about 70%), Lesser Violetear (about 60%) and Scintillant Hummingbird (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Green-fronted Lancebill is recorded against all the birds logged in Volcán Barú National Park (81 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.
