Birds · Apodiformes · Trochilidae

Cuban Emerald

Chlorostilbon ricordii

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Cuban emerald is the commonest hummingbird in Cuba, an intense metallic green with a forked tail and a red bill tipped with black. It shares the island with the bee hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world, and is markedly larger than it. It aggressively defends the flowering shrubs in its territory, driving off other hummingbirds and bees. Its Spanish name is onomatopoeic, after the hum of its wings.

Weight

4 g – 6 g

Size

10 cm – 11 cm

Lifespan

7 years

Diet

Nectarivore

Feeds mainly on flower nectar.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestTemperate forestIslandsNectarivore Diurnal Solitary Bird Rainforest Temperate forest Islands

2countries 3parks15same family

Fun facts

Its Spanish name imitates the hum of its wings, which beat some fifty times a second: in Cuba both the zunzún and the zunzuncito are named after that sound.
It is extraordinarily territorial for its size: it drives hummingbirds, bees and even birds much larger than itself away from its flowers.
Its nest is a tiny cup of lichen and spider silk, the size of a walnut, fixed to a slender branch and camouflaged until it is indistinguishable from a knot in the wood.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Woodland, scrub, coffee plantations and gardens of Cuba and the Bahamas
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 15 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/