Purple Honeycreeper
Cyanerpes caeruleus
The Purple Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus) is a uncommon tanager found in 12 countries, weighing about 12 g. The purple honeycreeper is a small Neotropical bird in the tanager family Thraupidae.
About the Purple Honeycreeper
The purple honeycreeper is a small Neotropical bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in the tropical New World from Colombia and Venezuela south to Brazil, and on Trinidad. A few, possibly introduced, birds have been recorded on Tobago.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The purple honeycreeper is 4.5 in (11.5 cm) long, weighs 0.42 oz (12 g), and has a long black decurved bill. The male is purple with black wings, tail, and belly, and bright yellow legs. Females and immatures have green upperparts and green-streaked yellowish-buff underparts. The throat is cinnamon, and there is a blue moustachial stripe. The Trinidadian subspecies C. c. longirostris has a longer bill than the mainland forms. The call of the purple honeycreeper is a thin high-pitched zree.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in France.
When to see it
The Purple Honeycreeper can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Purple Honeycreeper?
- The purple honeycreeper is 4.5 in (11.5 cm) long, weighs 0.42 oz (12 g), and has a long black decurved bill. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Purple Honeycreeper?
- The Purple Honeycreeper is a tiny sized bird weighing about 12 g.
- Where can you see a Purple Honeycreeper?
- The Purple Honeycreeper occurs in 12 countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, Trinidad & Tobago, Peru and Brazil.
- What birds look similar to a Purple Honeycreeper?
- The Purple Honeycreeper is most easily confused with the Shining Honeycreeper, the Short-billed Honeycreeper and the Red-legged Honeycreeper.
- Is the Purple Honeycreeper endangered?
- The Purple Honeycreeper is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Purple Honeycreeper for real
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