Garden Emerald
Garden Emerald (Chlorostilbon assimilis)
Name Origin:
The genus Chlorostilbon comes from Greek chloros (“green”) and stilbos (“shining”), describing the group’s lustrous emerald plumage. The species name assimilis means “similar” in Latin, referencing its resemblance to related Chlorostilbon species.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 8–9 cm (3.1–3.5 in)
⚖️ Weight: 2.6–3.0 g (0.09–0.11 oz)
🌎 Range: Southern Central America
🧭 Elevation: Sea level to 1,200 m (3,900 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Gardens, dry forest edge, plantations, and secondary woodland
🧬 Clade: Trochilini “Emeralds” (lowland and foothill hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
Monotypic species — no recognized subspecies.
Distribution: Found from southern Nicaragua through Costa Rica and western Panama, largely restricted to the Pacific slope. Inhabits dry to semi-humid lowland and foothill forest, as well as gardens, clearings, and shrubby areas, usually below 1,200 meters elevation.
Species Overview
The Garden Emerald is one of Central America’s most familiar small hummingbirds, thriving in semi-open habitats and flowering gardens. Despite its name, it is equally at home in natural dry forests and coastal scrub. Males shimmer with metallic green and blue, while females show soft gray and green contrasts. Its agility and adaptability make it a hallmark species of the Pacific lowlands.
Male Description:
The male is vivid metallic green overall, with a blue-green throat, bronze-tinged tail, and black bill. The tail is slightly forked and iridescent, flashing dark bronze or violet depending on light.
Female Description:
The female has green upperparts, white underparts with grayish flanks, and a short, slightly notched tail tipped with white. Her plumage provides effective camouflage in shrubby habitats.
Habitat & Behavior:
Found in gardens, secondary forests, and dry woodland edges, often frequenting ornamental and native flowering plants such as Heliconia, Hamelia, and Stachytarpheta. The Garden Emerald feeds by rapid hovering and is tolerant of human presence. It often coexists with larger hummingbirds, maintaining smaller feeding territories.
Conservation Note:
The Garden Emerald is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains common throughout much of its range, even in disturbed habitats. Its adaptability allows it to persist in agricultural landscapes and suburban gardens. Continued protection of Pacific-slope dry and semi-humid forests ensures healthy populations across Costa Rica and western Panama, where it remains a vibrant symbol of the region’s biodiversity.
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