Sapphire-spangled Emerald

Sapphire-spangled Emerald

Chionomesa lactea

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Itatiaia National Park
72 Verified sightings at Itatiaia National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,457 Verified sightings across all 11 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Sapphire-spangled Emerald

The sapphire-spangled emerald (Chionomesa lactea) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is regularly found in Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela; as a vagrant in Argentina; and has possibly occurred in Ecuador.

The sapphire-spangled emerald has at various times been placed in genera Hylocharis, Polyerata, and until 2014 in Amazilia. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that Amazilia was polyphyletic. In the revised classification to create monophyletic genera, the sapphire-spangled emerald and glittering-throated emerald (Chionomesa fimbriata) were moved by most taxonomic systems to the resurrected genus Chionomesa that had been introduced in 1921 by Eugène Simon. However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) retains it in Amazilia.

The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (SACC), the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and the Clements taxonomy assign these three subspecies to the sapphire-spangled emerald:

C. l. zimmeri (Gilliard, 1941) C. l. lactea (Lesson, R.) C. l. bartletti (Gould, 1866) The... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
2 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
3 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
4 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
5 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
6 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
7 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
8 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
9 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
10 Canaima National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
Insufficient data
11 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Sapphire-spangled Emerald in Itatiaia National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sapphire-spangled Emerald sighting in Itatiaia National Park, based on 72 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Sapphire-spangled Emerald in Itatiaia National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Sapphire-spangled Emerald in Itatiaia National Park in our monthly data.

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