Berylline Hummingbird

Scientific name: Saucerottia beryllina

The Berylline Hummingbird is a colorful mid‑elevation hummingbird of Mexico and northern Central America, with a small but regular presence in southeast Arizona. It favors oak and pine–oak woodlands, shady canyons, and forest edges, where its rich green and rufous tones stand out against the foliage.

At a Glance

• Family: Trochilidae (hummingbirds)​

• Clade: Trochilini – Emeralds​

• Genus group: Saucerottia — mid‑elevation emeralds of Mexico and Central America.
  Range: Mexico (from Sonora and Tamaulipas south through Oaxaca and Chiapas), Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and occasional vagrant to the southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico).

• Habitat: Dense oak and pine–oak forest, scrublands, deciduous and thorn forest, gallery forest, shady canyons, plantations, and parks and gardens.

• Elevation: Near sea level up to the submontane zone, most common between about 500 and 1,800 m (1,600–5,900 ft).

• Length: about 9–10 cm (3.5–4 in).​

• Weight: roughly 4–5 g (0.14–0.18 oz).

• Number of mature individuals: around 2,000,000 (≈ 1–2 million).​

• Population trend: Increasing.

• Status: Least Concern (IUCN).

Name Origin

The genus name Saucerottia honors Antoine Claudius Saucerotte, an 18th‑century French physician and naturalist who worked on hummingbirds. The species name beryllina refers to “beryl,” a green gemstone, alluding to the bird’s rich green plumage and gemstone‑like sheen. The English name “Berylline Hummingbird” likewise emphasizes this vivid green coloration.

Subspecies and Distribution

The Berylline Hummingbird has five recognized subspecies.

1. Berylline Hummingbird (Northern)
   Saucerottia beryllina viola
   Distribution: Western Mexico from Sonora to Michoacán and Guerrero, rarely reaching the southwestern USA (Arizona and occasionally New Mexico).

2. Saucerottia beryllina beryllina
   Distribution: Central Mexico from México State south to southern Veracruz and Oaxaca.

3. Berylline Hummingbird (Sumichrast’s)
   Saucerottia beryllina lichtensteini
   Distribution: Southern Mexico, western Chiapas.

4. Saucerottia beryllina sumichrasti
   Distribution: Southern Mexico, extreme southeastern Oaxaca, and north‑central and southern Chiapas.

5. Saucerottia beryllina devillei
   Distribution: Southern Guatemala and El Salvador to central Honduras.

Across these five subspecies, Berylline Hummingbirds form a primarily Mexican distribution that extends into northern Central America, with rare vagrants reaching the southwestern United States.

Legend
Green Resident

Species Overview

The Berylline Hummingbird is a classic “emerald” of Mexican uplands, combining rich green upperparts with rufous tones on the tail and wing bases. It is common and widespread in suitable habitats in Mexico and has recently increased in some urban and semi‑urban areas, where feeders and ornamental plantings provide abundant nectar. In the United States, it is a rare but nearly regular visitor to wooded canyons in southeastern Arizona, especially in summer and early fall.

Identification

Male

Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a bronze‑green to coppery head, back, and rump, with coppery to rufous uppertail coverts and tail. The bases of the wing feathers are chestnut and can form a noticeable patch on the closed wing, and the underparts are glittering golden green from throat to belly. The bill is entirely black and slightly decurved.

Subspecies differ subtly in plumage:

• S. b. viola has a grayish tinge on back and rump and a fawn to cinnamon belly with dark violet uppertail coverts and tail.

• S. b. lichtensteini is lighter green overall with a silvery tail.

• S. b. sumichrasti has a darker green back than the nominate, with a bronze‑green to purplish gloss tail.

• S. b. devillei shows more bronze on the back and a purplish to bronzy chestnut tail.

Female

Adult females are similar in pattern but with a paler, more grayish throat and belly and somewhat less intense glitter on the underparts. Juveniles resemble females but often show a grayish‑cinnamon belly. In all plumages, the combination of warm rufous tail, green body, and golden‑green underparts helps separate Berylline from other emerald hummingbirds in its range.

Habitat and Behavior

Berylline Hummingbirds use a wide variety of arid to semi‑humid landscapes, primarily in foothills and lower mountain slopes. They occur in dense oak and pine–oak forest, scrublands, deciduous and thorn forest, gallery forest, plantations, and gardens, often in canyons and along wooded ravines. They feed on nectar from flowering trees and shrubs and also take small insects for protein, foraging in shady canyons and forest edges as well as in more open habitats where suitable flowers are available. In some cities, such as Mexico City, they readily use feeders and non‑native plants, which has helped them increase and extend their breeding season in urban mutualistic networks.

Population and Threats

Berylline Hummingbird is assessed as Least Concern, with an estimated 1–2 million mature individuals and an overall Increasing population trend. It is common and widespread in much of Mexico and northern Central America, and long‑term data show increases and range expansion in some areas where urbanization has created new nectar resources. While not currently threatened, the species could be affected by habitat loss and degradation if oak and pine–oak woodlands, shady canyons, and associated forests are extensively cleared, fragmented, or degraded.

Conservation

Because Berylline Hummingbird uses both natural woodlands and human‑modified habitats, conservation of oak and pine–oak forests and canyons, along with pollinator‑friendly gardening and careful feeder management, will help maintain its positive population trajectory. Preserving wooded ravines, gallery forest, and structurally diverse foothill habitats across Mexico and northern Central America benefits this species and many other nectar‑feeding birds. Encouraging native flowering shrubs and trees in parks and gardens can further support local populations, including vagrant birds in Arizona.

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Below is the Berylline Hummingbird (Saucerottia beryllina beryllina)

Photographed in La Pintada and Atoyac de Álvarez, Guerrero, and in Tlacolula, Oaxaca, Mexico

This individual belongs to the nominate subspecies bery­llina, which occurs widely in the montane regions of central and southern Mexico. It inhabits pine-oak woodland, forest edge, and semi-open mountain scrub between 1,000 and 2,500 meters, often frequenting flowering trees and shaded garden areas.

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Below is the Berylline Hummingbird (Saucerottia beryllina viola)

Photographed at Ramsey Canyon Inn, Cochise County, Arizona, United States

This individual belongs to the subspecies viola, the northernmost and smallest form, found in the Sierra Madre Occidental of northwestern Mexico and occasionally into southeastern Arizona’s Sky Islands. In the U.S., it occurs only locally in oak–pine canyons such as Ramsey Canyon, Huachuca Mountains, and Miller Canyon.

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Related species in the Saucerottia genus (11 species total):

Please note: The content provided in this article reflects Anthony’s personal experience and photographic approach. Results can vary depending on light, weather, location, equipment, subject behavior, and field conditions.