Blue-backed Conebill
Conirostrum sitticolor
The Blue-backed Conebill (Conirostrum sitticolor) is a rare tanager found in 5 countries, weighing about 12 g. The blue-backed conebill is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae .










About the Blue-backed Conebill
The blue-backed conebill is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae . It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The blue-backed conebill is a small bird, weighing 11-13g. While subspecies differ slightly in appearance, all subspecies have some amount of black on their head, a blue back, rump, and tail, and an orange underside. The nominate subspecies, C. s. sitticolor has a fully black head and throat, and black wings, while C. s. cyaneum has a black cheek, chin, lore, and crown with a blue post-ocular stripe and throat, and blue wings. As the name would indicate, C. s.
What the Blue-backed Conebill sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Blue-backed Conebill can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Blue-backed Conebill?
- The blue-backed conebill is a small bird, weighing 11-13g. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Blue-backed Conebill?
- The Blue-backed Conebill is a tiny sized bird weighing about 12 g.
- Where can you see a Blue-backed Conebill?
- The Blue-backed Conebill occurs in 5 countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela.
- What does a Blue-backed Conebill sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Blue-backed Conebill on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Blue-backed Conebill?
- The Blue-backed Conebill is most easily confused with the Capped Conebill, the Bicolored Conebill and the Rufous-browed Conebill.
- Is the Blue-backed Conebill endangered?
- The Blue-backed Conebill is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Blue-backed Conebill for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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