Canivet's Emerald
Canivet’s Emerald (Cynanthus canivetii)
Name Origin:
The genus name Cynanthus is derived from the Greek kynos meaning “dog” and anthos meaning “flower,” a whimsical allusion to the bird’s bold, persistent foraging behavior. The species name canivetii honors Monsieur Canivet, a 19th-century French natural history collector who contributed to tropical bird studies.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 8–9 cm (3.1–3.5 in)
⚖️ Weight: 2.5–3 g (0.09–0.11 oz)
🌎 Range: Southeastern Mexico through Honduras and northwestern Costa Rica
🧭 Elevation: Sea level to 1,500 m (0–4,900 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Dry forest, scrub, plantations, and gardens
🧬 Clade: Trochilini "Emeralds" (lowland hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
1. Cynanthus canivetii canivetii (Canivet’s)
Distribution: Found in southeastern Mexico (southern Tamaulipas to Yucatán), Belize, northern Guatemala, and the Bay Islands of Honduras.
2. Cynanthus canivetii osberti (Salvin’s)
Distribution: Occurs in southeastern Mexico (extreme southeastern Chiapas) through western and central Guatemala and El Salvador, south to Honduras and western Nicaragua.
3. Cynanthus canivetii salvini
Distribution: Found in northwestern Costa Rica, mainly in Pacific-slope highlands.
Species Overview
The Canivet’s Emerald is a small, radiant hummingbird of dry forests, scrublands, and semi-open landscapes. Common across the Yucatán region and northern Central America, it is noted for its adaptability and vibrant emerald plumage. Males are especially eye-catching when they perch in sunlight, flashing iridescent green and blue tones.
Male Description:
The male has bright emerald-green upperparts, a glittering green throat and breast, and a deeply forked dark blue tail with blackish central feathers. The underparts are metallic green fading to pale gray on the belly. The bill is red with a black tip, straight and slender.
Female Description:
The female has green upperparts, white underparts, and a tail with blue-black central feathers and white-tipped outer feathers. Her throat is whitish with light green spotting.
Habitat & Behavior:
This species inhabits dry forests, scrubby clearings, forest edges, and gardens, often near flowering trees and shrubs. It feeds on nectar from Heliotropium, Inga, Hamelia, and Erythrina, as well as small insects. The Canivet’s Emerald is territorial, frequently returning to favored perches to rest between feeding bouts. Its rapid, high-pitched tsip calls are characteristic of open woodlands and plantations throughout its range.
Conservation Note:
The Canivet’s Emerald is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains locally common across much of its range. Its tolerance for disturbed habitats, including gardens and agricultural zones, helps maintain stable populations. Local declines may occur due to deforestation of dry forest ecosystems, but the species remains resilient. Protecting native dry forest and scrub habitats is essential to preserve healthy populations of this shimmering Trochilini emerald.
Below is the Canivet’s Emerald (Cynanthus canivetii osberti)
Photographed in Alajuela, Costa Rica
This individual belongs to the subspecies osberti, which occurs from southern Mexico (Chiapas) south through much of Central America into northern Costa Rica. It inhabits dry forest, open woodland, gardens, and edges with abundant flowering shrubs, often from near sea level up to about 1,200 meters.
female photographed below
