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Sapphire-spangled Emerald - BirdForum Opus

Male, Nominate subspecies
Photo © by Luis R
Arena Blanca, San Martin, Peru, March 2018
Chionomesa lactea

Amazilia lactea

Identification

8–11 cm (3-4¼ in)

  • Bright sapphire blue chest and chin
  • Greenish-blue abdomen with white vertical stripe
  • Bill: medium, almost straight with a black upper mandible; and orange or pink lower mandible

Distribution

Nominate subspecies
Photo © by Luiz
Serrinha do Alambari, Resende, RJ, Brazil, 10 March 2007

South America: found in Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.

Taxonomy

This is a polytypic species[1] consisting of 3 subspecies.

This species is sometimes placed in genus Polyerata.

Subspecies

  • C. l. zimmeri:
  • Tepuis of south-eastern Venezuela (Mount Auyan-tepui)
  • C. l. lactea:
  • Central and southern Brazil (southern Bahia to São Paulo)
  • C. l. bartletti:


Habitat

Subspecies bartletti
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Reserva Arena Blanca, Aguas Verdes, San Martín, Peru, January 2017

Rain and gallery forests, secondary growth (including disturbed areas), river borders and clearings, gardens, orchards, city parks. Observed at 1,110 m.

Behaviour

Diet

Males establish feeding territories. They forage for nectar at a variety of plants. They also attend feeders.

Breeding

They construct a cup-shaped nest from plant down and cobwebs.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Avibase
  3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2017)
  4. Birdforum Member observations

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.

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