Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The purple-throated cotinga (Porphyrolaema porphyrolaema) is a species of bird in the cotinga family, Cotingidae. It is found in the western Amazon rainforest of South America; its range extends from southern Colombia south through eastern Ecuador and Peru and east through extreme northwestern Bolivia and into western Amazonian Brazil. It lives in the canopy or along the borders of humid forest throughout its range. The purple-throated cotinga is monotypic within the genus Porphyrolaema and has no known subspecies. It is one of the smaller cotinga species and expresses strong sexual dimorphism. Males have black upperparts with a bold white wingstripe and white edges to the tertial feathers and a white belly with some black barring on the rear flanks. The throat is a deep purple, giving the bird both its common and scientific names. Females are dark brown with pale buffy margins on the upperparts, buffy cinnamon with black barring on the underparts, and rufous on the throat. The male has a powerful voice.
Little research has been done on this species, and not much is known about its ecology. The purple-throated cotinga is primarily frugivorous, although it does occasionally eat small insects. A solitary male attracts a female by perching in the canopy and letting the sunlight reflect off its iridescent feathers. It is suspected to breed year-round and is non-migratory. Despite being considered naturally uncommon or rare across its vast range, the purple-throated cotinga is listed as a species of Least Concern. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 4 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-throated Cotinga sighting in Yasuní National Park on a given day, based on 83 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 329th most-seen of the 533 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.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-throated Cotinga in Yasuní National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-throated Cotinga sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Purple-throated Cotinga sightings, Yasuní National Park has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Amacayacu National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%) and Tambopata National Reserve (Peru, under 5%).
Same family: Cotingidae
The closest relatives of the Purple-throated Cotinga that you can see in Yasuní National Park (family Cotingidae, Cotingas) are Black-tailed Tityra (about 20%), Bare-necked Fruitcrow (about 20%) and Purple-throated Fruitcrow (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple-throated Cotinga is recorded against all the birds logged in Yasuní National Park (83 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.
