Purple-backed sunbeam
Aglaeactis aliciae Salvin, 1896
The purple-backed sunbeam (Aglaeactis aliciae) is a species in the family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes. Recorded adults weigh 7 g to 8 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.
Quick facts about the purple-backed sunbeam
- Weight
- 7 g – 8 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Nectarivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the purple-backed sunbeam live?
Not recorded
What is the purple-backed sunbeam?
The purple-backed sunbeam (Aglaeactis aliciae) is a bird species in the family Trochilidae. It is found only in Peru.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.
It was formerly classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. But new research has shown that although hardly any natural habitat is left, this species is still a bit more numerous than it was believed. Consequently, it is downlisted to Endangered status in 2008 and once again to Vulnerable in 2020.
From the Wikipedia article “Purple-backed sunbeam” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple-backed_sunbeam&oldid=1377613271), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the purple-backed sunbeam endangered?
The purple-backed sunbeam is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.
How is the purple-backed sunbeam classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderApodiformes
- familyTrochilidae
- genusAglaeactis
- SpeciesAglaeactis aliciae Salvin, 1896
Synonyms Aglaectis aliciae
Other names and names in other languages (37)
- شعاع الشمس أرجواني الظهرArabic
- Colibrí d'AliceCatalan
- colibrí d'AlíciaCatalan
- kolibřík maraňónskýCzech
- kolibřík purpurohřbetýCzech
- pelydryn cefnborfforWelsh
- PurpurglansrygDanish
- MaronenkolibriGerman
- PurpurrückenkolibriGerman
- Weißbrust-AndenkolibriGerman
- violdorsa kolibroEsperanto
- Colibrí de AliciaSpanish
- Rayo-de-Sol de Dorso PúrpuraSpanish
- مگسمرغ پشت ارغوانیPersian
- purppuraselkäkolibriFinnish
- Colibri d'AliceFrench
- Colibri d’AliceFrench
- Dos-cuivré d'AliceFrench
- maranonski kolibrićCroatian
- Macchia di sole dorsoviolaItalian
- アメシストニジハチドリJapanese
- purpurinis saulės spindulėlisLithuanian
- VioletrugglanskolibrieDutch
- spraglesolkolibriNorwegian
- iskrzyk purpurowyPolish
- colibri-de-aliciaPortuguese
- beija-flor-de-dorso-púrpuraPortuguese
- Белогорлая иридаRussian
- Пурпурноспинный солнечный лучRussian
- ink purpurovýSlovak
- andárik purpurovýSlovak
- Sunčev kolibri ljubičastih leđaSerbian
- purpurglansryggSwedish
- Mor Sırtlı GünışığıTurkish
- колібрі-золотожар пурпуровийUkrainian
- 紫背太陽蜂鳥Chinese
- 紫背闪羽蜂鸟Chinese
Relatives of the purple-backed sunbeam
Other species in the same genus Aglaeactis.
Shining sunbeam
Aglaeactis cupripennis
Black-hooded sunbeam
Aglaeactis pamela
White-tufted sunbeam
Aglaeactis castelnaudii
ComparePurple-backed sunbeam vs Shining sunbeamPurple-backed sunbeam vs Black-hooded sunbeamPurple-backed sunbeam vs White-tufted sunbeam
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the purple-backed sunbeam?
An adult purple-backed sunbeam weighs 7 g – 8 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the purple-backed sunbeam endangered?
The purple-backed sunbeam is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
What kind of animal is the purple-backed sunbeam?
The purple-backed sunbeam (Aglaeactis aliciae) belongs to the family Trochilidae in the order Apodiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Purple-backed sunbeam (Aglaeactis aliciae). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-backed-sunbeam
“Purple-backed sunbeam (Aglaeactis aliciae).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-backed-sunbeam.
@misc{purple_backed_sunbeam_2026,
title = {Purple-backed sunbeam (Aglaeactis aliciae)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-backed-sunbeam},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}