Hispaniolan Emerald
Riccordia swainsonii
An inhabitant of moist montane woodlands including coffee plantations. The long-tailed male is distinctively entirely iridescent green and the base of the bill is red. The female is metallic green above, dingy white below, and has a relatively long, forked tail. The Antillean Mango is shorter tailed (wings just about even with tail tip when perched) and has a distinctly down-curved bill. The Vervain Hummingbird is much smaller and shorter billed than the Hispaniolan Emerald. Most common vocalization is a sharp “tic,” most often given in a prolonged series at about five “tics” per second.
Identification
Male Hispaniolan emeralds are 9.5 to 10.5 cm (3.7 to 4.1 in) long and females 8.5 to 9.5 cm (3.3 to 3.7 in). The species weighs between 2.5 and 5 g (0.088 and 0.18 oz). Both sexes have a small white spot behind the eye. Males have a bill whose mandible is red and the maxilla black, and that is slightly decurved at the outer end. Its forehead, crown, and cheeks are dull dark brown; the rest of its upperparts and flanks are dark green with a bronze tinge and the uppertail coverts are dark green. Its throat is iridescent green with a large black patch below it. The rest of its underparts are a darker green than the upperparts with dark green undertail coverts. The tail is deeply forked and dark brown. The female's bill is more deeply decurved than the male's. Its head and upperparts are like the male's. Its underparts are gray that is darker on the belly and undertail coverts. The outermost pair of tail feathers have a gray base, a wide dark brown band near the end, and a white tip. The next pair inward is mostly dark grass green becoming black at the end. The inner three pairs are green.
Taxonomy
The Hispaniolan 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.<p>The Hispaniolan emerald is closely related to the Cuban emerald (Riccordia ricordii) and the Puerto Rican emerald (R. maugaeus). It is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Riccordia swainsonii
- Authority
- (Lesson, RP, 1829)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Riccordia
Range and habitat
The Hispaniolan emerald is found in both countries of its namesake island, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It inhabits the interior and edges of dense montane rainforest, scrublands, and coffee plantations. In elevation it mostly ranges between 300 and 2,500 m (980 and 8,200 ft) but is found as low as sea level and occasionally higher than 3,000 m (9,800 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Hispaniolan emerald is generally sedentary. However, it occasionally wanders to high elevations and perhaps regularly moves to lower ones after the breeding season.<p>The Hispaniolan emerald forages for nectar by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of flowering plants. It feeds anywhere from 3 to 18 m (10 to 60 ft) above the ground. In addition to nectar, it feeds on insects captured by hawking from a perch.<p>The Hispaniolan emerald's breeding season extends from January to June and occasionally as late as August. It makes a cup nest of moss and plant fibers bound with spiderweb and covered with lichen. It often places it in shrubs within 2 m (7 ft) of the ground but sometimes as high as 10 m (30 ft). The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for 15 to 16 days and fledging occurs 20 to 22 days after hatch.<p>The Hispaniolan emerald makes "[s]harp metallic chipping notes", sometimes in a long series.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Parakeet Auklet
Aethia psittacula
Dumpy, medium-sized alcid with a bright orange bill. Pale button eye and upturned gape give it a distinctly maniacal, smiling appearance. Blackish above and white below, with a long white “whisker” extending down from behind the eye in breeding season; in wintering birds, white extends up onto the throat. Clean white belly distinguishes this species from other similar auklets. Least Auklet has a similar color scheme but is half the size, has white cheeks in non-breeding plumage, and has white-mottled upperparts when breeding. Parakeet Auklet breeds on offshore island colonies, often with other auklet species; it winters offshore.
Brown-cheeked Fulvetta
Alcippe poioicephala
An unapologetically drab and unmarked fulvetta, often seen in association with mixed-species foraging flocks. Brown with a gray wash to the head; Southeast Asian birds have a thin black brow line that Indian birds lack. Lacks the bright white eyering and more prominent brow stripe of Nepal and Yunnan Fulvettas. Inhabits hill and montane forest, where it forages actively in forest and forest edge. Song consists of a brief or mid-length phrase of pleasant-sounding whistles, usually with a short ascending note toward the end. Calls include loud sputtery chattering and rattling.
Mouse-colored Penduline-Tit
Anthoscopus musculus
A tiny drab bird with a sharp bill. Note gray back, whitish underparts, and faintly black-speckled forehead. Generally uncommon in dry savanna and thornscrub, usually found in pairs or small flocks. Similar to Sennar and African Penduline-Tits, but grayer on the back and paler below. Can also be mistaken for Yellow-bellied or Yellow-vented Eremomelas, but has a shorter and thinner bill and no yellow on the underparts. Vocalizations include high-pitched “sit” notes and long trills.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.