White-chinned sapphire

Hylocharis cyanus

(Photo from Animales)

Common name:
white-chinned sapphire (en); beija-flor-roxo (pt); saphir azuré (fr); zafiro de cabeza azul (es); weißkinn-saphirkolibri (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Apodiformes
Family Trochilidae


Range:
This South American species is found from Venezuela and Colombia to south-eastern Brazil and northern Argentina.


Size:
These birds are 8-9 cm long and weigh just 4 g.


Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in rainforests, but also in dry forests, dry scrublands, plantations and urban parks and gardens. They occur at altitudes of 200-1.000 m.


Diet:
They eat the nectar of various flowers, from the ground to the tree canopy, and will also take insects and spiders.


Breeding:
The white-chinned sapphire nests in a small cup made of plant fibres, placed in scrub, tree or root up to 4 m above the ground. The female lays 2 white eggs, which she incubates alone for  14-15 days. The chicks are fed by the female alone and fledge 20-26 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing at a significant rate.