White-chinned Sapphire (Hylocharis cyanus)

White-chinned Sapphire (Hylocharis cyanus)

White-chinned Sapphire, São Paulo, Brazil, July 2002 - click for larger image

São Paulo City, São Paulo, Brazil,
July 2002

The White-chinned Sapphire is distributed in the Amazon and Orinoco Basins with disjunct populations around Lake Maracaibo, along the coast of south-east Brazil and into north-east Argentina.

It is found in forest edges, gallery forest, white sand forests and restinga. It does not seem to be common in cities but this bird was photographed in the centre of São Paulo City which I think is the first record for the city.

Points to watch out for are the straight red bill with black tip, the dark blue forehead, crown, cheeks and throat, the coppery rump and the green flanks. This bird belongs to the race griseiventris which has a greyish belly but other races have a green belly.

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