The gilded sapphire, also known as the gilded hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Region
Eastern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs from eastern Bolivia and central/southern Brazil through Paraguay and Uruguay into northern Argentina. It favors semi-open habitats such as cerrado savanna, gallery forests, forest edges, riparian thickets, and secondary growth. Frequently uses urban parks and gardens with abundant flowering plants, and it often visits hummingbird feeders. It generally avoids the interior of dense evergreen forest but thrives in mosaic landscapes with scattered trees and shrubs.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the gilded hummingbird, it is a small, glittering hummingbird common in open woodlands, savannas, and gardens. It readily visits flowering shrubs and feeders and males can be quite territorial around rich nectar sources. The cup nest is built by the female from plant down and spider silk on a horizontal branch. It supplements nectar with tiny insects for protein.
Temperament
territorial and active
Flight Pattern
rapid wingbeats with agile hovering
Social Behavior
Usually solitary while foraging, with males aggressively defending rich flower patches or feeders. Courtship involves fast chases and display flights. The female alone builds a tiny cup nest of plant fibers and spider silk and incubates two white eggs.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives high, thin chips and rapid twittering sequences, especially during interactions at flowers. Vocalizations are bright and metallic, often a repeated tsit-tsit interspersed with short trills.
Plumage
Glittering golden-green upperparts and throat with a brighter metallic sheen on the breast; belly slightly duller green. Rump and tail show a warm gilded to rufous tone, with the tail often appearing coppery in good light. Underparts clean and iridescent, with a neat, compact build typical of emerald hummingbirds.
Diet
Primarily feeds on nectar from a wide variety of blooming shrubs, trees, and herbs, probing flowers with its straight bill. It supplements nectar with small arthropods, hawking them in mid-air or gleaning from foliage for protein. It adapts well to gardens and often uses artificial feeders when available.
Preferred Environment
Forages along forest edges, riparian corridors, and in semi-open savanna with scattered flowering plants. Common in towns and gardens where ornamental and native flowers bloom year-round.
