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.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Lars Hansen and Huguito Cabral and are used with their permission.
RUFOUS-THROATED SAPPHIRE Hylocharis sapphirina
Unlike his close relative the Gilded Sapphire, the Rufous-throated is a strongly sexually dimorphic species. Though females look just like the much commoner Gilded, males are quite different, decked out in blue and green. This is a rare bird in Paraguay with very few records from scattered localities. The bird in the photos hung around my garden for a while and it was only when I began to look closely at her that I realised it was not just a Gilded. As a result they may be commoner than we assume, just overlooked, so check out every Gilded Hummer you see very closely!
