- 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
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
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
- 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/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2017)
- Birdforum Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Sapphire-spangled Emerald. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Sapphire-spangled_Emerald
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
