Red-legged Honeycreeper
Cyanerpes cyaneus
The Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus) is a common tanager found in 22 countries, weighing about 14 g. The red-legged honeycreeper is a small songbird species in the tanager family (Thraupidae).
About the Red-legged Honeycreeper
The red-legged honeycreeper is a small songbird species in the tanager family (Thraupidae). It is found in the tropical New World from southern Mexico south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and on Cuba, where possibly introduced. It is also rarely found in southern Texas.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The red-legged honeycreeper is on average 12.2 cm (4.8 in) long, weighs 14 g (0.49 oz) and has a medium-long black, slightly decurved, bill. The male is violet-blue with black wings, tail and back, and bright red legs. The crown of its head is turquoise, and the underwing, visible only in flight, is lemon yellow. After the breeding season, the male moults into an eclipse plumage, mainly greenish with black wings. Females and immatures are mainly green, with paler, faintly streaked underparts. The legs are red-brown in the female, and brown in young birds.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Curaçao.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, October, November, December, with peak activity in March. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Watch the Red-legged Honeycreeper on live cams
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Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Red-legged Honeycreeper?
- The red-legged honeycreeper is on average 12.2 cm (4.8 in) long, weighs 14 g (0.49 oz) and has a medium-long black, slightly decurved, bill. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Red-legged Honeycreeper?
- The Red-legged Honeycreeper is a tiny sized bird weighing about 14 g.
- Where can you see a Red-legged Honeycreeper?
- The Red-legged Honeycreeper occurs in 22 countries, including Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Mexico and Guatemala.
- What birds look similar to a Red-legged Honeycreeper?
- The Red-legged Honeycreeper is most easily confused with the Purple Honeycreeper, the Shining Honeycreeper and the Short-billed Honeycreeper.
- Is the Red-legged Honeycreeper endangered?
- The Red-legged Honeycreeper is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
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