Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Cyanerpes cyaneus
Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 18 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus) is a member of the Thraupidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 14 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Thraupidae Tanagers & Allies
- Genus Cyanerpes
- Species cyaneus
Where it lives
Eastern Mexico to central Bolivia and eastern Brazil
Quick facts
- Weight
- 14 g
- Diet
- Omnivores
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Red-legged Honeycreeper is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Red-legged Honeycreeper is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus) is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA e Mexico to c Bolivia and e Brazil.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 14 g, with a wing length of about 6.1 cm and a tail of around 3.5 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 8.3 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Red-legged Honeycreeper?
The Red-legged Honeycreeper is a very small bird that weighs around 14 g.
Where does the Red-legged Honeycreeper live?
The Red-legged Honeycreeper is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA e Mexico to c Bolivia and e Brazil, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Red-legged Honeycreeper belong to?
The Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus) belongs to the Thraupidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Red-legged Honeycreeper eat?
The Red-legged Honeycreeper is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the Red-legged Honeycreeper migrate?
The Red-legged Honeycreeper is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Red-legged Honeycreeper endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Red-legged Honeycreeper make?
1 real field recording of the Red-legged Honeycreeper — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Red-legged Honeycreeper's range?
The Red-legged Honeycreeper has a mapped global range of about 8.3 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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A field guide to the Thraupidae family — 394 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.