Cuban Emerald

About the Cuban Emerald

The Cuban emerald (Riccordia ricordii) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in the Bahamas and Cuba. The Cuban emerald was formerly placed in the genus Chlorostilbon. Based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 and a 2017 publication, the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and the Clements taxonomy moved it to the resurrected genus Riccordia. However, as of 2020 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) retained it in Chlorostilbon.

The Cuban emerald is monotypic. However, the extinct Brace's emerald (R. bracei) was at one time treated as a subspecies of it. Male Cuban emeralds are 10.5 to 11.5 cm (4.1 to 4.5 in) long and females 9.5 to 10.5 cm (3.7 to 4.1 in). The species weighs between 2.5 and 5 g (0.088 and 0.18 oz). Males have a short, slightly decurved, black-tipped bill whose mandible is dull black and the maxilla red. It has a small whitish spot behind the eye. Its upperparts are dark shining green with a bronze tinge; the crown is darker... Wikipedia →