Cozumel Emerald

About the Cozumel Emerald

The Cozumel emerald (Cynanthus forficatus) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to the Mexican island of Cozumel off the Yucatán Peninsula. The Cozumel emerald's taxonomic history is complicated. It was originally described as Chlorostilbon forficatus, then as a subspecies of golden-crowned emerald (now Cynanthus auriceps) which itself has been treated as a subspecies of Canivet's emerald (now Cynanthus canivetii). Other more recent authors include it and many other taxa as subspecies of the blue-tailed emerald (Chlorostilbon mellisugus).

The North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and the Clements taxonomy assign it the binomial Cynanthus forficatus. However, as of 2020 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) retains it in genus Chlorostilbon.

Male Cozumel emeralds are 9 to 10.5 cm (3.5 to 4.1 in) long and females 8 to 9.1 cm (3.1 to 3.6 in). Males and females both weigh about 2.5 g (0.088 oz). Males have a black bill with a red tip. Its crown is bright... Wikipedia →