Hylocharis chrysura
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The gilded sapphire (Hylocharis chrysura), also known as the gilded hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The names of this species, both English and scientific, have not been settled. The International Ornithological Committee calls it the gilded sapphire (Hylocharis chrysura). The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy call it the gilded hummingbird, also with the binomial H. chrysura. BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World also calls it the gilded hummingbird but with the binomial Amazilia chrysura. The first three systems agree that it shares genus Hylocharis with the rufous-throated sapphire (H. sapphirina). All four agree that it is monotypic.
The gilded sapphire is 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 4 to 5 g (0.14 to 0.18 oz). Both sexes have a medium length, straight, coral red bill with a black tip. Adult males are mostly iridescent golden-green, with a pale rufous chin and a glittering golden-bronze tail. Adult females are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 4 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 7 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 8 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 10 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gilded Hummingbird sighting in Iguazú National Park on a given day, based on 640 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 92nd most-seen of the 343 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gilded Hummingbird in Iguazú National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January–September and November, the lowest months. Those are among Iguazú National Park's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain a month against 90 mm in August.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gilded Hummingbird sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Gilded Hummingbird sightings, Iguazú National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 30%), El Palmar National Park (Argentina, about 30%) and El Impenetrable National Park (Argentina, about 20%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Gilded Hummingbird that you can see in Iguazú National Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Violet-capped Woodnymph (about 20%), Versicolored Emerald (about 20%) and Scale-throated Hermit (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gilded Hummingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Iguazú National Park (640 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
