Alternative name: Red-throated Sapphire
- Hylocharis sapphirina
Identification
8,4 - 9,1cm.
Male
- Straight coral red bill, tipped black
- Dark green upperparts with coppery violet uppertail-coverts
- Rufous chin
- Violet-blue throat and chest
- Chestnut undertail-coverts
- Coppery tinged violet central rectrices, rest chestnut and tipped dusky grey
Female
- Upperparts similar to male
- Pale rufous chin
- Greyish underparts with large glittering blue-green discs on throat and chest
- Buffy undertail-coverts
- Tail similar to male but with outer rectrices with paler edges
Juveniles are similar to females.
Similar species
The female can be confused with White-chinned Sapphire, which has absolutely no rufous on chin and undertail-coverts. Another possible confusion species is Golden-tailed Sapphire, but there is only little overlap in distribution.
Distribution
Found in eastern Colombia, southern Venezuela and the Guianas to eastern Ecuador, northeast Peru and northwest and north-central Brazil. Also from northeast Bolivia to southeast Paraguay, central and eastern Brazil to northeast Argentina.
Common in most of its range.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Several subspecies were recognized in the past, e.g. guianensis or brasiliensis. However, the pattern of distinguishing morphological characters showed not to be constant.
Habitat
Moist lowland rainforest, usually at edge and in the canopy. Also in savanna with scattered bushes and some trees, clearings around granite outcrops or coffee plantations.
Mostly found around 200 - 500m, but sometimes also higher, up to 1850m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on nectar of flowering shrubs, small trees, vines and epiphytes.
Mostly seen feeding near the ground and in lower strata. Catches also insects in the air by hawking. Male birds have a feeding territory, which they defend aggressively against other birds.
Breeding
Breeding season from July to January in the Guianas and August to February in Brazil. The nest is cup-shaped and made of plant fibre. It's placed on a horizontal branch of shrub or a three, 4 - 6 m above the ground. Lays two eggs.
Movements
A sedentary species. Some migratory or seasonal movements are suspected in southeast Brazil and parts of Venezuela.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 1999. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 5: Barn-Owls to Hummingbirds. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334252
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Rufous-throated Sapphire. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Rufous-throated_Sapphire
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
