Rufous-throated Sapphire
[order] Apodiformes | [family] Trochilidae | [latin] Hylocharis sapphirina | [UK] Rufous-throated Sapphire | [FR] Saphir a gorge rousse | [DE] Rotkehl-Saphirkolibri | [ES] Zafiro Gorgirrojo | [IT] Colibri zaffiro golarossiccia | [NL] Roodkeelsaffierkolibrie
Subspecies
Monotypic species
Physical charateristics
In the male upperparts, lower breast and belly shiny green. Chin rufous, fore-neck and upperbreast glitttering sapphire blue. Under tail coverts chestnut, upper tail coverts and tail feathers chestnut, edged with black.
Female more bronze greenish on upperparts outer tail feathers pale tipped. Chin pale buf, unerparts greyish white. The short bill bill reddish with a black tip. Legs blaCK.
Female more bronze greenish on upperparts outer tail feathers pale tipped. Chin pale buf, unerparts greyish white. The short bill bill reddish with a black tip. Legs blaCK.
Listen to the sound of Rufous-throated Sapphire
[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/R/Rufous-throated Sapphire.mp3]
Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto
| wingspan min.: | 0 | cm | wingspan max.: | 0 | cm |
| size min.: | 8 | cm | size max.: | 9 | cm |
| incubation min.: | 14 | days | incubation max.: | 16 | days |
| fledging min.: | 22 | days | fledging max.: | 27 | days |
| broods: | 0 | eggs min.: | 1 | ||
| eggs max.: | 3 |
Range
Ranges from Orinoco Valley in Venezuela to Peru east of the Andes, the Guianas, Amazonian and Southeastern Brazil, Northeastern Argentina and Northeastern Bolivia. In Suriname found in forest edges of savanna, plantations and mangroves. Sometimes even in some numbers (february).
Habitat
Forest edge, savanna with scattered bushes and loose trees, clearings around granite outcrops. Also plantations, but less numerous in open coastal vegetation.
Reproduction
The nest is a small cup made out of soft plant material lined with seed down and plant fibre. It is built between 4-6 meters up in a tree on a horizontal branch. Clutch size is 2 eggs incubated by female and lasts 14-16 days, young fledge after 22-27 days.
Feeding habits
Nectar of flowering shrubs, during flowering season tree flowers in canopy are visited. Catches insects by hawking and spiders by tree-gleaning. Feeding territory is defended aggressively by male.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 4,200,000 km