The Glittering-bellied Emerald is one of the most broadly distributed of southern South American hummingbirds. The glittering-bellied emerald inhabits a variety of semi-arid to somewhat humid, open to semi-open landscapes. It occurs in scrublands, savanna, grasslands, the edges of forest, and in parks and gardens. The Glittering-bellied Emerald is entirely shiny green throughout, although the throat and mid-belly are blue. As is typical the bill is orange-red with a dark tip. Males have an iridescent blue tail that is noticeably forked. Females are entirely different, showing green upperparts and off white to pale grayish underparts. The glittering-bellied emerald forages for nectar by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of a wide variety of flowering plants. It also captures small insects by hawking from a perch and has been observed taking insect honeydew. The IUCN has assessed the glittering-bellied emerald as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range but its population size and trend are not known.
