Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

Humboldt's Sapphire

Chrysuronia humboldtii

The Humboldt's sapphire, a species of hummingbird, is a diminutive and iridescent jewel of the avian world. Males are distinguished by their straightish coral red bill with a black tip, while females sport a black maxilla with red at its base and a pinkish mandible. The male's plumage is a tapestry of deep blue on the forehead and throat, with a crown of dull dark blue-green and metallic green to bronze-green upperparts. Their tails are a dark metallic green to blue, and their underparts are a mix of blue-green and white. Females, on the other hand, display a blue crown with similar upperparts to the males, but their underparts are predominantly white with bright green flecks.

Identification Tips

To identify Humboldt's sapphire, look for the male's distinctive bill and deep blue throat, or the female's white underparts with green flecks. Juvenile males will have more white below and a bronze-flecked breast, with a duller crown and face.

Habitat

This species thrives in mangroves and adjacent wet secondary forests, typically below 50 meters in elevation. They are most commonly found in Pacific mangrove stands.

Distribution

Humboldt's sapphire graces the narrow Pacific coastal regions from southeastern Panama, through western Colombia, and into northwestern Ecuador's Esmeraldas Province.

Behaviour

Little is known about the movements of Humboldt's sapphire, as they have not been well documented. They are known to feed on nectar from the flowers of tea mangrove and insects, which they catch in flight or glean from vegetation.

Song & Calls

The vocalizations of Humboldt's sapphire are a symphony of high-pitched phrases, comprising hissing notes and trills, as well as a descending squeaky twittering call.

Breeding

Breeding condition Humboldt's sapphires have been observed from January to May. Males perform at leks to attract females. However, much of their breeding behavior, including the description of their nests, remains a mystery.

Diet and Feeding

Humboldt's sapphire has a penchant for the nectar of tea mangrove flowers but is also seen feeding on insects, which they either hawk from a perch or glean from surrounding vegetation.

Conservation status

The IUCN has classified Humboldt's sapphire as Least Concern, with an estimated population of 20,000 to 50,000 mature individuals. Despite the slow conversion of their mangrove habitat to shrimp farming, the species' use of secondary forest has prevented a more rapid decline in numbers. They are considered uncommon in Panama, very local in Colombia, and very rare in Ecuador.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Humboldt's Sapphires on Birda

Sightings
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Chris Bell
Chris Bell
07 Apr 2019 - 10:10am
Colombia

More Hummingbirds

A photo of a Speckled Hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys)

Speckled Hummingbird

Adelomyia melanogenys
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
Tralisalandhoop
Fantastic app - Love it!
Love this app and have used it almost daily. Lots of species information and easy to use. Love seeing birds spotted by other users in the UK and worldwide.
Amylia S
Best app for any birding person!
I love this app!! I am so addicted to it when I saw it had 3 star review I was so sad! The app is awesome!! The best app for any birding person! ❤️
Foxgirl100
Great app for beginner twitchers
I’ve had a passion of photographing birds for a long time now but have only just gotten into proper birdwatching, and this app is brilliant for those just getting started. There is a great sense of community among users and the app is very easy to use and professional. Awesome app altogether
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Marlster24
Very Wholesome App
Joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😄
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.