Blue-tailed Emerald
Blue-tailed Emerald (Chlorostilbon mellisugus)
Name Origin:
The genus name Chlorostilbon comes from the Greek chloros meaning “green” and stilbe meaning “sparkle” or “glitter,” describing the group’s intensely iridescent plumage. The species name mellisugus combines the Latin mel (“honey”) and sugere (“to suck”), literally “honey-sucker” — an early term for nectar-feeding birds.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 8–9 cm (3.1–3.5 in)
⚖️ Weight: 3–3.5 g (0.10–0.12 oz)
🌎 Range: Northern South America and the upper Amazon Basin; also several Caribbean islands
🧭 Elevation: Sea level to 1,400 m (4,590 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Humid forest edges, gallery forests, dry woodland, scrub, plantations, and gardens
🧬 Clade: Trochilini "Emeralds" (lowland and foothill hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN)
Subspecies & Distribution
1. C. m. caribaeus
Distribution: Found on the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Trinidad, and Margarita, and on the adjacent northern coast of Venezuela.
2. C. m. duidae
Distribution: Endemic to the Mt. Duida region in southern Venezuela (Amazonas).
3. C. m. subfurcatus
Distribution: Occurs in eastern and southern Venezuela, Guyana, and the Rio Branco region of northwestern Brazil.
4. C. m. mellisugus
Distribution: Found in Suriname, French Guiana, and the lower Amazon watershed of northeastern Brazil.
5. C. m. phoeopygus
Distribution: Inhabits the upper Amazon Basin and its eastern tributaries in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and western Brazil.
6. C. m. peruanus
Distribution: Found in southeastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and possibly extreme southwestern Brazil.
Species Overview
The Blue-tailed Emerald is one of the most widespread and variable of all Neotropical hummingbirds, shining with vivid emerald plumage and a glittering blue tail. Found from the Guianas and Venezuela south through the Amazon Basin to Bolivia, it thrives in a wide range of habitats, from humid forest edges to dry scrub and gardens.
Male Description:
The male has brilliant emerald-green upperparts and underparts, a metallic blue tail, and a black, straight bill often reddish at the base. The crown gleams with golden-green highlights, and the blue tail catches light with every movement. Males often perch conspicuously while defending flowering territories.
Female Description:
The female has green upperparts, grayish underparts, and a bluish tail with white tips. She lacks the full iridescence of the male but retains a delicate shimmer on the crown and flanks. Her foraging behavior is quieter and more secretive, often in the understory or at shaded flowers.
Habitat & Behavior:
This adaptable species occupies humid and semi-arid habitats, including forest edges, scrub, plantations, and gardens. It feeds mainly on nectar from Inga, Hamelia, Heliconia, and other flowering plants, as well as small insects. The Blue-tailed Emerald’s flight is swift and direct, with frequent hovering at flower clusters. Males establish small feeding territories, often returning to the same perch to survey their domain.
Conservation Note:
The Blue-tailed Emerald is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. It remains widespread and locally common throughout its range and is tolerant of secondary and disturbed habitats. However, deforestation in Amazonian and coastal forests may reduce localized populations. Preservation of flower-rich forest borders and riparian vegetation ensures the long-term stability of this radiant Trochilini hummingbird.
Below is the Blue-tailed Emerald (Chlorostilbon mellisugus phoeopygus)
Photographed at Waqanki / Quebrada Mishquiyaquillo, San Martín, Peru, and Rio Solimões – Ilha Nova, Iranduba, Amazonas, Brazil
These individuals belong to the subspecies phoeopygus, which occurs throughout the upper Amazon Basin from southern Colombia and eastern Ecuador through northern Peru and into western Brazil around Manaus and the Solimões River. It inhabits humid lowland and foothill forest edges, secondary growth, and riverine woodland where flowering shrubs and trees are abundant.
