Oct 29

Bird of the day

Canivet's emerald

Chlorostilbon canivetii

Canivet's emerald (Cynanthus canivetii) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

Male Canivet's emeralds are 7.8 to 9.3 cm (3.1 to 3.7 in) long and weigh 2.1 to 2.8 g (0.074 to 0.099 oz). Females are 7.5 to 8.6 cm (3.0 to 3.4 in) long and weigh about 2.3 g (0.081 oz). Males of the nominate subspecies have a red bill with a black tip. Their crown is bright golden to golden green and the rest of the upperparts a less brilliant golden green. Their underparts are brilliant golden green with white tibal tufts. The tail is long and forked, blue-black or black with a blue gloss, and the central two or three pairs of feathers have dark brownish gray tips. The female's maxilla is black and the mandible red with a black tip. Its upperparts and flanks are bright metallic green to bronze green that is duller on the crown. It has a grayish white stripe behind the eye and dusky cheeks. Its underparts are light gray. Its tail is not as long or deeply forked as the male's. The central pair of tail feathers are metallic green to bluish green and the next three pairs are the same color with a black band near the end and white tips. The outermost pair has a dusky base and brownish gray and black bands near the end.

Subspecies C. c. osberti is similar to the nominate, but the male has a shorter and less deeply forked tail and the gray tips on the central tail feathers are narrower and darker. C. c. salvini males are also similar to the nominate, but have a dusky rather than red maxilla and dark sooty gray tips on the central tail feathers.

Aliases

Chlorostilbon canivetii

Range

Range map of Canivet's emerald

Data retrieved on October 14, 2025 at 9:21 PM