Gilded sapphire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gilded sapphire |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Hylocharis |
| Species: |
H. chrysura
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| Binomial name | |
| Hylocharis chrysura (Shaw, 1812)
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The gilded sapphire (Hylocharis chrysura) is a beautiful type of hummingbird. It's also sometimes called the gilded hummingbird. You can find this tiny bird in several South American countries. These include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
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About the Gilded Sapphire's Name
The gilded sapphire has a few different names! Scientists and bird experts sometimes call it the gilded sapphire. Others prefer the name gilded hummingbird. Its scientific name is Hylocharis chrysura. This bird is the only one of its kind in the Hylocharis group.
What Does the Gilded Sapphire Look Like?
The gilded sapphire is a small bird, about 8 to 10 centimeters (3 to 4 inches) long. It weighs only about 4 to 5 grams (less than an ounce)! Both male and female gilded sapphires have a straight, coral-red beak. The tip of their beak is black.
Adult males are mostly a shiny, golden-green color. They have a light reddish-brown chin. Their tail sparkles with a golden-bronze color. Females look very similar to males, but their colors are a bit duller. They also have a grayish lower belly. Young gilded sapphires look like the adult females. They have soft, buff-colored edges on the feathers of their heads.
Where Do Gilded Sapphires Live?
You can find the gilded sapphire in many parts of South America. They live in northeastern and south-central Bolivia. They are also common in almost all of Paraguay and Uruguay. In Brazil, they live in the central and southeastern regions. You can also spot them in northern Argentina.
These hummingbirds like open areas. They enjoy places like grasslands with a few trees. You might also see them at the edges of forests or in clearings. They even live in gardens and plantations! They are most often found at elevations between 400 and 800 meters (about 1,300 to 2,600 feet). Sometimes, they can be found as low as 200 meters (650 feet) or as high as 1,000 meters (3,300 feet).
Gilded Sapphire Behavior
How Gilded Sapphires Move Around
Most gilded sapphires seem to stay in one place. However, some of them do migrate, or move to different areas. This happens in parts of Brazil and nearby Bolivia. Scientists are still learning about their movements in other places.
What Gilded Sapphires Eat
Gilded sapphires love to drink nectar from flowers. They visit many different kinds of native and introduced plants, shrubs, and trees. They look for nectar at all levels of their habitat, from low bushes to tall trees. Besides nectar, they also eat insects. They catch insects by flying out from a perch, like a branch. They also pick spiders from their webs.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
In Brazil, gilded sapphires usually breed between September and February. We don't know as much about their breeding season in other areas. The female builds a cup-shaped nest. She uses plant seed fibers and spiderwebs to make it strong. She decorates the outside with lichen and small pieces of leaves.
The nest is usually placed on a thin, flat branch or in a fork of a tree. It's often about 4 to 6 meters (13 to 20 feet) above the ground. Sometimes, it can be as high as 10 meters (33 feet). The female lays two eggs. She sits on them for 14 to 15 days to keep them warm. After the chicks hatch, they stay in the nest for 20 to 28 days before they are ready to fly.
Gilded Sapphire Sounds
The gilded sapphire has a special song. It sounds like a high-pitched, cricket-like trill that can be long or short. Their call is a quick, dry rattling sound, like "trrrt."
Conservation Status
The gilded sapphire is doing well! The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) says it is a species of "Least Concern." This means it is not considered endangered. The bird lives in a very large area. Even though we don't know exactly how many there are, their numbers seem to be growing. There are no big threats to them right now. They are very common in the places they live. They also easily adapt to places made by people, like gardens and farms. This means they might even spread to new areas!
 | Sharif Bey |
 | Hale Woodruff |
 | Richmond Barthé |
 | Purvis Young |
