Cuban Emerald

Scientific name: Riccordia ricordii

The Cuban Emerald is a small, shimmering green hummingbird of woodlands, scrub, plantations, gardens, and mangroves in Cuba and the western Bahamas. It is listed as Least Concern, with an unknown number of mature individuals, a decreasing population trend, and it is considered not a migrant.

At a Glance

• Family: Trochilidae (hummingbirds)

• Clades: Trochilini – Emeralds

• Genus group: Riccordia — Caribbean emeralds (6 species in total, including 2 possibly extinct: Brace’s Emerald and Gould’s Emerald)

• Range: Cuba (including Isla de la Juventud) and the western Bahamas (especially Andros and nearby islands).

• Habitat: Semi‑open habitats including woodland, scrub, forest edges, mangroves, plantations, rural areas, and gardens with flowering shrubs and trees.

• Elevation: From sea level to at least 1,000 m in the mountainous parts of Cuba.

• Length: Males about 10.5–11.5 cm (4.1–4.5 in); females about 9.5–10.5 cm (3.7–4.1 in).

• Weight: About 2.5–5 g (0.09–0.18 oz).

• Number of mature individuals: Unknown.

• Population trend: Decreasing.

• Status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List category).

• Migration: Not a migrant.

Name Origin
The genus name Riccordia honors French naturalist Alexandre Bourjot de Riccord, connected with early collections and descriptions of Caribbean hummingbirds. The species name ricordii likewise commemorates Riccord. The English name “Cuban Emerald” reflects both its principal range in Cuba and its brilliant emerald‑green plumage.

Taxonomy & Distribution
Monotypic species — no recognized subspecies.

Cuban Emerald belongs to the emerald clade (tribe Trochilini) and is currently placed in the Caribbean genus Riccordia, which includes several island endemics in the Greater Antilles and Bahamas. It occurs in Cuba, Isla de la Juventud, and the western Bahamas (particularly Andros and nearby islands), where it occupies a wide variety of semi‑open, flower‑rich habitats.

Legend
Green Resident

Species Overview
The Cuban Emerald is one of the most familiar hummingbirds in Cuba and parts of the Bahamas, often seen around flowering trees, hedges, and garden plantings. Males show glowing, uniform green plumage with a slightly forked dark tail and white undertail coverts, while females are greener above with pale underparts and a more contrasting tail pattern. The species adapts well to human‑modified landscapes and remains locally common, but ongoing habitat changes and local pressures are believed to be causing a slow overall decline.

Male Description
Adult males are small and slender, with a long, slightly decurved bill that is black above and reddish‑pink below with a dark tip. The crown, nape, back, and underparts are bright metallic green, sometimes with a bluish or golden sheen depending on light. The undertail coverts are white, contrasting with the rest of the underparts. The tail is slightly forked and dark, often appearing blackish with some bronzy or bluish gloss. In good light, males appear as compact, intensely green hummingbirds with a dark, slightly forked tail and white vent.

Female Description
Females are similar in size but somewhat duller. The upperparts are metallic green, while the underparts are whitish to pale gray, often with some green spotting or suffusion on the sides of the breast and flanks. The tail is darker with clear white tips on the outer feathers, creating a more patterned look from below than in males. The bill is like the male’s, long and slightly decurved, black above and reddish‑pink beneath with a darker tip. Juveniles resemble females but are duller overall, with less distinct tail patterning and more brownish or grayish tones in the plumage; young males gradually become brighter green and acquire cleaner white undertail coverts.

Habitat & Behavior
Cuban Emeralds use a wide range of semi‑open habitats, including dry and moist woodland, pine and broadleaf forests, scrub, thickets, forest edges, mangroves, plantations, rural areas, and urban and suburban gardens. They feed at various heights, from low shrubs to flowering trees and vines, taking nectar from a broad variety of blossoms and regularly visiting garden feeders. They are active and often conspicuous, perching on wires, exposed twigs, or fence lines between feeding bouts. Like other hummingbirds, they also take small insects and spiders for protein, hawking them in short sallies from perches or gleaning near flowers.

Breeding
Breeding timing varies across Cuba and the Bahamas but often peaks during warmer, wetter months when flowers are abundant. The female builds a small cup nest of plant down and fibers bound with spiderweb, usually placed on a horizontal branch, fork, or even man‑made supports such as wires or structures in gardens. The outside of the nest may be decorated with lichens or bits of bark for camouflage. She lays two white eggs and alone incubates and raises the chicks, as is typical of hummingbirds, with the young fledging a few weeks after hatching.

Population
The total number of mature individuals is unknown, but the Cuban Emerald is still considered common in many areas of Cuba and locally common in the western Bahamas. Its ability to use a variety of semi‑open and human‑modified habitats, including gardens and plantations, has likely helped maintain its numbers. Nonetheless, the overall population trend is decreasing, reflecting habitat loss, local development, and possible localized pressures such as pesticide use and competition for nectar resources.

Conservation
Cuban Emerald is assessed as Least Concern because of its relatively wide range and ongoing presence in many parts of Cuba and the western Bahamas. However, continued deforestation, urban expansion, intensive agriculture, and coastal development can reduce and fragment suitable habitats, especially in areas of heavy tourism or agricultural intensification. Conservation of native woodlands, mangroves, and scrub, promotion of native flowering plants in gardens and urban planning, and protection of key semi‑natural landscapes in Cuba and the Bahamas all help secure this species and other Caribbean hummingbirds.

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Related species in the Riccordia genus (6 species in total, 2 possibly extinct):
Brace’s Emerald (Riccordia bracei, possibly extinct)
Gould’s Emerald (Riccordia elegans, possibly extinct)

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.