HUMMINGBIRD SPECIES

Glittering-throated Emerald

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amazilia fimbriata

The Glittering-throated Emerald is a small hummingbird with metallic green overall.

There are 7 subspecies showing some physical differences in colors, and living in different regions in South America, mainly in Brazil. 

It measures about 3.15 - 4.72 inches in length and weighs around 4 - 6 grams.

Adult males have bronze green to golden upperparts. Tail have two central bronze-green feathers, becoming darker towards the external blue-black rectrices. On the wings, flight feathers are blackish-bronze.

Throat and breast show glittering golden-green feathers. Center of lower breast and belly are white, while the sides are bronze-green. Vent and under tail coverts are white with brownish centers. Tail is blackish-bronze.

Head is glossy bronze-green. Medium-sized, straight bill shows blackish upper mandible. Lower mandible is pinkish, with dusky tip. Eyes are dark brown, with a small white patch behind the eye. Legs and feet are blackish.

Adult females are almost similar, but they have white bars on throat feathers, and the most external rectrices have greenish-gray tips.

Immatures have more grayish-brown on belly than white color.

Utters soft “dz-dz”, as pebbles striking together. When in flight, it gives a loud “peep-peep” rising and descending. Male gives squeaky, high-pitched advertising songs.

Feeds mainly on nectar of flowers, from large variety of native and introduced species. It also consumes small flies and beetles.

Common in open and semi-open areas, but it avoids dense forest.

It frequents several kinds of habitats such as shrubby second growth, gallery forest edges, dry and wet forests, savannahs, cultivated areas with bushes and trees, plantations and gardens.

It also can be found in mangroves in Atlantic coast.

Lives in The Guianas and Venezuela, to south Bolivia and south Brazil.

The female usually selects the nest-site and builds the nest. It is cup-shaped made with plant wool, cobwebs, fine strands of dry vegetation and lichens, at about 4 meters above the ground, sometimes lower, rarely higher. It is often situated on a horizontal branch.

The female lays 2 eggs and incubates alone for 14 - 17 days.

SOURCES:
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com
https://ebird.org
https://en.wikipedia.org