Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Materials on this page was contributed by Paul Smith, Myriam Velázquez and Juan Mazar Barnett and are used with their permission.
GILDED SAPPHIRE Hylocharis chrysura
One of the two common urban hummingbirds in Paraguay, the Gilded looks like he has had his tail dipped in molten bronze! In fact his whole plumage is slightly bronzy if you catch it at the right angle, though at the wrong angle he will tend to look drab and somewhat uninteresting. There is nothing more pleasant than passing an afternoon watching the Gilded and other hummingbirds coming to a flowering bush like thirsty travellers stopping at an inn. They will even bless you with the occasional bar fight - despite their small size hummingbirds are notoriously pugnacious!
Click on the images to enlarge them.
Gallery 1 - Adult
FIGURE 1 - (FPAVE3920PH) Adult, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith January 2007).
FIGURE 2 - (FPAVE3921PH) Adult dorsal view Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).
FIGURE 3 - (FPAVE3922PH) Adult, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith December 2005).
FIGURE 4 - (FPAVE3923PH) Same individual as (FPAVE3922PH) upperwing (Paul Smith December 2005).
FIGURE 5 - (FPAVE3924PH) Adult head detail, Laguna Blanca, Departamento San Pedro (Jon Smit January 2011).
FIGURE 6 - (FPAVE3925PH) Subdult?, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith November 2006).
VIDEO A - (FPAVE3926VI) Same individual as (FPAVE3926PH) (Paul Smith November 2006).
VIDEO B - (FPAVE3927VI) Adult foraging, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith December 2006).

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FIGURE 1
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Hylocharis chrysura
1 (FPAVE3928RE) Territorial song  recorded Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith April 2007).
2 (FPAVE3929RE) Territorial song with "wenk" calls  recorded Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith April 2007).
3 (FPAVE3930RE) Antagonistic calls in aggressive interaction  recorded Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith April 2007).
4 (FPAVE3931RE) Foraging calls  recorded Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith April 2007).
5 (FPAVE3932RE) Song  recorded Aguara-Ñu, Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, Departamento Canindeyú (Juan Mazar Barnett August 1997).
6 (FPAVE3933RE) Squeak calls recorded Puerto Bertoni, Departamento Alto Paranña (Myriam Velázquez September 2000)
7 (FPAVE3934RE) Squeak calls recorded Puerto Bertoni, Departamento Alto Paranña (Myriam Velázquez September 2000)
8 (FPAVE3935RE) Foraging calls recorded Quinto Potrero, Departamento Caazapá (Myriam Velázquez October 2000)

Click the links to hear the calls. Longer versions of this call can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website Xeno-Canto - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.
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Gallery 2 - Juvenile
FIGURE 2a - (FPAVE3936PH) Juvenile, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith November 2006).
FIGURE 2b - (FPAVE3937PH) Juvenile, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith November 2006).
FIGURE 2c - (FPAVE3938PH) Same individual as (FPAVE3937PH) preening (Paul Smith November 2006).
FIGURE 2d - (FPAVE3939PH) Juvenile, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith April 2004).
FIGURE 2e - (FPAVE3940PH) Same individual as (FPAVE3939PH) upperwing (Paul Smith April 2004).