- Hylocharis cyanus
Identification
8–9 cm (3-3½ in)
Male
- Straight red bill with black tip
- Dark blue forehead, crown, cheeks and throat
- Green flanks
- Grey belly (different amount depending on subspecies)
- Coppery rump which contrast with both green back and dark blue tail (shallowly forked).
Similar species
Distribution
South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Five subspecies are recognized:
- H. c. viridiventris:
- H. c. rostrata:
- H. c. conversa:
- East Bolivia to northern Paraguay and south-western Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul)
- H. c. cyanus:
- Coastal eastern Brazil (Pernambuco to Rio de Janeiro)
- H. c. griseiventris:
- Coastal south-eastern Brazil (São Paulo) to north-eastern Argentina (Buenos Aires)
Habitat
Forest edges, gallery forest, riparian woodland, white sand forests and restinga.
Behaviour
Diet
They take nectar from a wide variety of plants.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Oct 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) White-chinned Sapphire. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/White-chinned_Sapphire


