Canivet's Emerald

Scientific name: Cynanthus canivetii

Canivet’s Emerald (also known as the Fork‑tailed Emerald) is a tiny “emerald” hummingbird of dry to semi‑humid, semi‑open habitats from southeastern Mexico to northwestern Costa Rica. An estimated 500,000–4,999,999 mature individuals exist, the population is considered stable, it is non‑migratory, and it is currently listed as Least Concern with three recognized subspecies.

At a Glance

• Family: Trochilidae (hummingbirds)

• Clades: Trochilini – Emeralds

• Genus group: Cynanthus — small, bright green emeralds with mostly red‑based bills (6 species total)

• Range: From southeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas–Yucatán and Chiapas) through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, western Nicaragua, to northwestern Costa Rica.

• Habitat: Arid to semi‑humid, semi‑open landscapes such as edges and clearings of evergreen and secondary forest, dry forest, scrubby savannas, hedgerows, and gardens.

• Elevation: Mostly from sea level to about 1,900 m (6,200 ft); up to around 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in Costa Rica.

• Length: About 8 cm (3.1 in).

• Weight: About 2.3–2.5 g (0.08–0.09 oz).

• Number of mature individuals: 500,000–4,999,999

• Population trend: Stable

• Status: Least Concern (IUCN)

Name Origin
The genus name Cynanthus derives from Greek for “dog” and “flower,” often interpreted as “flower‑hunter,” a nod to the bird’s energetic foraging. The species name canivetii honors the French naturalist Canivet. The English name “Canivet’s Emerald” recognizes the honoree and places the bird among the glittering “emerald” hummingbirds.

Subspecies & Distribution
Three subspecies:

• Cynanthus canivetii canivetii (Canivet’s)
  Distribution: Southeastern Mexico (southern Tamaulipas south and east through Veracruz and the Yucatán Peninsula), Belize, northern Guatemala, and the Bay Islands of Honduras. It occupies dry to semi‑humid forest edges, second growth, scrub, and gardens in this eastern lowland and foothill zone.

• Cynanthus canivetii osberti (Salvin’s)
  Distribution: Southeastern Mexico (extreme southeastern Chiapas) through western and central Guatemala and El Salvador, south to Honduras and western Nicaragua. This form is found in similar semi‑open habitats on the Pacific slope and interior valleys.

• Cynanthus canivetii salvini
  Distribution: Northwestern Costa Rica, mainly in Pacific‑slope highlands. Birds use dry to semi‑humid scrub, forest edges, second growth, and semi‑open agricultural landscapes with scattered trees and hedges.

Legend
Green Resident

Species Overview
Canivet’s Emerald is a classic small emerald of edges and semi‑open country rather than dense forest. It is often encountered along roadsides, forest borders, scrubby savannas, and in gardens where flowering shrubs and small trees are present. Its preference for disturbed and edge habitats, including human‑altered landscapes, helps explain its large population and stable conservation status.

Male Description
Adult males are tiny with a straight, mostly red bill with a black tip. The crown, back, and rump are bright metallic green. The underparts are also glittering green, sometimes slightly paler on the belly, and the thighs are white. The tail is distinctly forked and blue‑black, often flashing dark metallic blue when the bird fans or wags it while feeding. In the field, males appear as very small, vivid green hummingbirds with a red‑based bill and a deeply forked dark blue tail.

Female Description
Adult females have green upperparts and a contrasting gray underside. The face shows a dark mask with a white stripe behind the eye. The throat and breast are pale gray to whitish, and the belly is also grayish‑white. The tail is forked and dark with prominent white tips on the outer feathers, creating obvious white tail corners in flight. Females therefore look like small green‑backed, gray‑bellied hummingbirds with a red‑based bill and a dark forked tail with white corners.

Habitat & Behavior
Canivet’s Emeralds inhabit arid to semi‑humid, semi‑open environments: forest edges and clearings, second growth, scrubby savannas, hedgerows, plantations, and village gardens. They forage mainly at low to mid‑levels, often closer to the ground than many other hummingbirds, visiting small tubular flowers that larger species may overlook. They typically trap‑line—following a circuit of flowers rather than defending a single territory—though they can show aggression at rich nectar patches. In addition to nectar, they glean small arthropods from foliage or catch them in short flights. The species is considered resident across its range, with only local shifts following flowering patterns.

Breeding
Breeding seasons vary geographically: roughly February–May in eastern Mexico, December–February in El Salvador, November–March or April in Costa Rica, and at least into May in parts of Honduras. The female builds a small cup nest of plant fibers and down, bound with spiderweb and often decorated with bits of bark or lichens, typically placed 1–3 m (3–10 ft) above ground on a horizontal branch. She lays two eggs and undertakes all incubation and chick‑rearing; detailed timing of incubation and fledging remains poorly documented.

Population
With an estimated 500,000–4,999,999 mature individuals and a wide distribution from southeastern Mexico through much of northern Central America, Canivet’s Emerald is currently secure. It is common in many suitable habitats and often benefits from moderate disturbance, as long as shrubs and small trees with flowers remain. Human activity that maintains edge habitats and gardens likely has little short‑term negative effect, though extensive conversion to treeless monocultures could reduce local numbers.

Conservation
Canivet’s Emerald is assessed as Least Concern thanks to its large population, wide range, and stable trend. Its reliance on forest edges, scrub, and disturbed areas means it is less vulnerable to complete forest loss than many interior forest species. Nonetheless, conserving a mosaic of native scrub, secondary forest, hedgerows, and tree‑rich agricultural land is important for sustaining its populations. Encouraging flowering native shrubs and trees in rural and urban gardens also supports this species and other small emeralds.

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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

For more details on the trips behind this species, visit the Costa Rica Hummingbird Expedition | July 2025 page and explore My Travel 2025-05 Costa Rica for guides and trip reports.

Related species in the Cynanthus genus (6 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.