Sapphire-spangled Emerald

The sapphire-spangled emerald (Chionomesa lactea) is a species of hummingbird that occurs in Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil from the Amazon south to Santa Catarina; there are uncertain records from east Ecuador. Both male and female have a bright "sapphire" blue chest and chin and green-blue abdomen with a well-delineated white stripe. The bill is almost straight with a black upper mandible and pink lower mandible. The emerald is found in forest edges, mountainous regions and gardens in urban areas. The species has an estimated range of 1,500,000 km, and while its population size is uncertain, it is believed to be large since it has been described as "frequent" in at least some parts of its range. It is not considered to be in decline and has been therefore evaluated as Least concern. This species was formerly placed in the genus 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 was moved to the resurrected genus Chionomesa that had been introduced in 1921 by Eugène Simon. It is depicted on the reverse side of the discontinued 1-Brazilian Real banknote.