Green-tailed Emerald

About the Green-tailed Emerald

The green-tailed emerald (Chlorostilbon alice) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Venezuela. The green-tailed emerald was originally described as Trochilus alice and later moved to its present genus Chlorostilbon. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and the Clements taxonomy recognize it as a monotypic species. However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World treats it as a subspecies of the short-tailed emerald, (C. poortmani). At least one author has suggested that it is a subspecies of narrow-tailed emerald (C. stenurus).

The male green-tailed emerald is 7.5 to 8.5 cm (3.0 to 3.3 in) long and females 6.5 to 7.5 cm (2.6 to 3.0 in). The species weighs between 3 and 4 g (0.11 and 0.14 oz). Both sexes have a short, straight, black bill. The male's forehead and crown are shining dark green, its upperparts bronzy green, its tail glittering bronze-green, and its underparts grass green. The female's upperparts are like the male's. It has a white line behind... Wikipedia →