Fun Sparkling Violetear Facts For Kids

The sparkling violetear (Colibri coruscans) is a large species of hummingbird, which is very vocal and territorial. The sparkling violetear is quite frequently seen in a wide range of semi-open habitats including gardens and parks within major cities. Quito in Ecuador is one place where this bird is seen and it is the commonest species of hummingbird in its range. The sparkling violetear is found in widespread populations across the highlands of northern and western South America, including the Andes, the Venezuelan Coastal Range, and the tepuis.

The sparkling violetear is a hummingbird of the Trochilidae family. It is part of the Colibri genus, a part of this family, that has four known species, namely the sparkling violetear, brown violetear, white-vented violetear, and green violetear.

Read some interesting facts about more interesting birds like the American black duck and the ring-necked duck here on Kidadl.

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What type of animal is a sparkling violetear?

The sparkling violetear is a species of hummingbirds found exclusively in countries in South America.

What class of animal does a sparkling violetear belong to?

Sparkling violetears (Colibri coruscans) fall under the class of Aves in the kingdom of Animalia.

How many sparkling violetears are there in the world?

The population of the species is not known but they are commonly found in their habitat and are widely distributed in the Andes.

Where does a sparkling violetear live?

The sparkling violetear is found in the South American countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. Sparkling violetears live in a large part of the Andes from the Venezuelan coastal parts. They are also found in the tepuis of southern Venezuela and northern Brazil, south to northwestern Argentina.

What is a sparkling violetear's habitat?

Sparkling violetears are spread across a large area in their habitat. These birds can be found in a range of area of 2,220,087 sq mi (5,750,000 sq km). The sparkling violetear is found in semi-open habitats along forest edges and areas with shrubs, gardens, and parks. They are common in evergreen eucalyptus forests as they feed on the flowers of these trees. They are not found in deep forests. The sparkling violetear looks similar to the lesser violetear but prefers more humid habitats.

Who does the sparkling violetear live with?

The sparkling violetear is a hummingbird species that are known to be solitary and does not live or migrate in flocks. Even during breeding, the male leaves as soon as the mating process is completed.

How long does a sparkling violetear live?

The sparkling violetear has an average lifespan of 12 years.

How do they reproduce?

Sparkling violetears are found in Venezuala and mate from July to October. The sparkling violetear male is only involved in reproduction is until the mating process is completed. Males attract females of the sparkling violetear species by flying in a U-shaped pattern. After mating, the male leaves and does not take part in the nesting process. Only a few examples have been seen of males taking care of the chicks. Females make the nests in a shrub, bush, or tree. Plant fibers, animal hair, and feather down are used in these nests. Spider webbing is also used to strengthen the nest and make it elastic. Sparkling violetear females lay a clutch of two white eggs and incubate them alone for 17-18 days. Females feed the chicks, who leave the nest 21 days after hatching.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the sparkling violetear (Colibri coruscans) is categorized as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Despite this, the sparkling violetear is threatened by habitat loss and a lot of predation by various animals.

What do sparkling violetears look like?

The sparkling violetear resembles the lesser violetear, except for a few differences. The sparkling violetear is larger and is found at higher altitudes. The bird has sparkly blue-purple feathers on its beak and ear feathers. The structure of their ear feathers is stiff and long. Their body is glossy green on the upper side and they have a blue-colored belly. Their lower body and tail are also mostly green in color. Their tail also has a blue band. Males and females of the species look the same.

How cute are they?

The sparkling violetear is beautiful with vibrant colors and a pretty voice.

How do they communicate?

The sparkling violetear is known to be loud and can be found singing most of the time. They also communicate by flapping their wings.

How big is a sparkling violetear?

The length of the sparkling violetear ranges from 5-6 in (12.7-15.24 cm). The tail length is usually 2.2 in (5.59 cm). The smallest hummingbirds in the world, bee hummingbirds, have a range of lengths from 2.1-2.4 in (5.33-6.1 cm). They are also the world's smallest birds.

How fast can a sparkling violetear fly?

The sparkling violetear is known to fly at a very high speed, however, the exact speed has not been recorded yet. The lesser violetear is probably the fastest of the hummingbirds with their highest speed clocked at 90 mph (144.8 kph).

How much does a sparkling violetear weigh?

The sparkling violetear weighs 0.014-0.018 lb (6.7-8.5 g). Males are a little heavier than females. The rufous hummingbird is a species of hummingbirds known for its flying skills and long-distance migration. They are found in North America. They have a range of weight from 0.006-0.008 lb (2.8-4.0 g), so are lighter and smaller than sparkling violetears.

What are their male and female names of the species?

Male and female sparkling violetear birds are not given different names. They are known commonly as sparkling violetear (Colibri coruscans).

What would you call a baby sparkling violetear?

A baby sparkling violetear is called a chick.

What do they eat?

The sparkling violetear is known to feed primarily on nectar from brightly colored, scented flowers on trees, herbs, shrubs, and epiphytes. They are also sometimes seen feeding on flowers of eucalyptus trees. Sparkling violetear hummingbirds are very territorial and protect areas with flowers with high sugar content. Widespread defending of these areas by males of the species is required when large insects come for the nectar too. Sparkling violetear birds also feed on insects and spiders during the breeding season to achieve a high protein intake. They are seen foraging in gardens and parks.

There are various predators of hummingbirds, including snakes, bigger birds, toucans, foxes, and lizards.

Are they dangerous?

The sparkling violetear is not dangerous at all.

Would they make a good pet?

The sparkling violetear is not considered a pet as they thrive in their natural habitat among the trees from which they feed on for nectar. These birds, however, can be seen sometimes feeding on the sweet water in hummingbird feeders.

Did you know...

Female sparkling violetear birds usually lay a clutch of two white eggs in a nest and males do not take part in the nesting duties.

The sparkling violetear is a fairly large hummingbird that can easily be spotted in the habitats in its range of distribution. Its green body with a blue and purple belly and long, stiff blue-purple ear feathers make it easy to distinguish from other birds in the area.

Does a sparkling violetear migrate?

This species of hummingbirds is known to undergo altitudinal migrations. Usually living in high elevated areas, during the dry season, populations in the Paramo habitat migrate to areas of lower elevation. Migration is usually after breeding.

Is the sparkling violetear endemic?

Although the sparkling violetear hummingbird is not considered endemic to any certain place, the bird species is native to many South American countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela.  

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our turkey facts and Eurasian tree sparrow facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable sparkling violetear coloring pages.