Bird Guide

Lesser Violetear vs Mexican Violetear

Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus)

Lesser Violetear

Colibri cyanotus

6 gForest

The lesser violetear is roughly medium-sized by hummingbird standards. It averages around 9.7 to 12 cm (3.8 to 4.7 in) in total length. Its bill is black and mostly straight with only a slight downward curve and measures from 1.8 to 2.5 cm (0.71 to 0.98 in). The body mass can vary from 4.8 to 5.6 g (0.17 to 0.20 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 5.8 to 6.8 cm (2.3 to 2.7 in) and the tail is 3.5 to 4.3 cm (1.4 to 1.7 in). It is shining green above with a glittering violet ear-patch on the sides of its neck. Voice: Solitary males sing from high, exposed twigs in their territory every day. Their song is a monotonously repeated sharp and dry "tsu-tzeek" at a rate of about one call per second.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Lesser Violetear
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz @rosaelena_naturaleza · Song · San Antonio De Los Altos (near Parroquia Macarao), Municipio Los Salias, Miranda, Venezuela · CC0
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC0
Mexican Violetear (Colibri thalassinus)

Mexican Violetear

Colibri thalassinus

Tiny6 gForest

The Mexican violetear is roughly medium-sized by hummingbird standards. It averages around 9.7 to 12 cm (3.8 to 4.7 in) in total length. Its bill is black and mostly straight with only a slight downward curve and measures from 1.8 to 2.5 cm (0.71 to 0.98 in). The body mass can vary from 4.8 to 5.6 g (0.17 to 0.20 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 5.8 to 6.8 cm (2.3 to 2.7 in) and the tail is 3.5 to 4.3 cm (1.4 to 1.7 in). The bird has a wingspan of 12 cm. It is shining green above with a glittering violet ear-patch on the sides of its neck. Voice: Solitary males sing from above, exposed twigs in their territory every day. Their song is a monotonously repeated sharp and dry "tsu-tzeek" at a rate of about one call per second.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: jons2 at pdphoto.org · Public domain

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Lesser Violetear and Mexican Violetear.