Photo: Norbert Potensky / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Purple Honeycreeper
Cyanerpes caeruleus
Purple Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 12 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Purple Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus) is a member of the Thraupidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 12 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 caeruleus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 12 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 Purple 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 Purple Honeycreeper is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Purple Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus) belongs to the Thraupidae family of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA nw, n, also Panama.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 12 g, with a wing length of about 5.7 cm and a tail of around 3.2 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 6.7 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Purple Honeycreeper?
The Purple Honeycreeper is a very small bird that weighs around 12 g.
Where does the Purple Honeycreeper live?
The Purple Honeycreeper is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA nw, n, also Panama, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Purple Honeycreeper belong to?
The Purple Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus) belongs to the Thraupidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Purple Honeycreeper eat?
The Purple Honeycreeper is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the Purple Honeycreeper migrate?
The Purple Honeycreeper is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Purple 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 Purple Honeycreeper make?
1 real field recording of the Purple 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 Purple Honeycreeper's range?
The Purple Honeycreeper has a mapped global range of about 6.7 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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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Thraupidae
A field guide to the Thraupidae family — 394 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.