Chlorostilbon lucidus
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| Photo by Marcos André (Wikipedia) |
Common name:
glittering-bellied emerald (en); besourinho-de-bico-vermelho (pt); émeraude splendide (fr); esmeralda ventridorada (es); goldbauch-smaragdkolibri (de)
Taxonomy:
Order Apodiformes
Family Trochilidae
Range:
This South American species is found in north-eastern Argentina, eastern and central Bolivia, eastern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Size:
These hummingbirds are 8,5 cm long and weigh 3,5 g.
Habitat:
Glittering-bellied emeralds are often found in the edges of sub-tropical moist forests, but also in a wide range of semi-open habitats, including gardens and parks.
Diet:
They mostly eat the nectar of various flowers, but may occasionally hunt spiders and insects.
Breeding:
The glittering-bellied emerald nests in August-April. They build a cup-shaped nest using lichens, leaves and twigs, placed in the branches of a tree or scrub, in an aerial root or sometimes on the leaves of coffee saplings. There the female lays 2 white eggs which she incubates alone for 14-18 days. The chicks are fed by the female and fledge 20-24 days after hatching.
Conservation:
IUCN status – LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and his described has common in much of its range. This species is not considered threatened at present.
