- Riccordia maugaeus
Chlorostilbon maugaeus
Identification
9-11 cm
This is one of the smaller hummingbirds.
Male is entirely green above and below with a black forked tail and a short, nearly straight bill that has red on the base of lower mandible.
Female has whitish underparts, a short white-tipped tail that can give impression of being straight, notched, or forked, and an entirely black bill.
Similar Species
Size, the bill, and for the male the forked tail, separates this species from both Puerto Rican Mango, Green Mango, and from Green-throated Carib. The male differs from Antillean Crested Hummingbird in lacking the green crest and rounded tail; For the female, longer bill and shorter tail of PR Emerald are the most important features; additionally, female Antillean Crested Hummingbird has a rounded tail.
Distribution
Puerto Rico (primarily in montane forests)
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.[1] found only in Puerto Rico.
Habitat
Mostly mountain forests including edges and shade coffee plantations. less common at the coast, but not too bad at the south coast.
Behaviour
Puerto Rican Emeralds are highly territorial, often defending its territories with intense aerial pursuits.
Diet
The diet includes insects, spiders and nectar.
Breeding
They breed throughout the entire year but breeding is concentrated before the wet season starts from February to May. Eggs are extremely small, measuring 8 by 13 mm.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Puerto Rican Emerald. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 October 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Puerto_Rican_Emerald
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
