Red-billed Emerald
Red-billed Emerald (Chlorostilbon gibsoni)
Name Origin:
The genus Chlorostilbon comes from Greek chloros meaning “green” and stilbon meaning “sparkling,” referring to its vivid emerald plumage. The species epithet gibsoni honors George Stacey Gibson, a British naturalist and patron of 19th-century ornithology.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 8–9 cm (3.1–3.5 in)
⚖️ Weight: ~2.5–3.2 g (0.09–0.11 oz)
🌎 Range: Northern and central Colombia into western Venezuela
🧭 Elevation: Sea level to 1,800 m
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Dry forest, scrub, arid valleys, and forest edges
🧬 Clade: Trochilini (a.k.a. “emeralds”)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
Three subspecies:
Chlorostilbon gibsoni gibsoni
Distribution: Upper Magdalena Valley in central ColombiaChlorostilbon gibsoni chrysogaster
Distribution: Northern Colombia from eastern Córdoba east to Cesar and Norte de SantanderChlorostilbon gibsoni nitens
Distribution: Extreme northern Colombia (Guajira Peninsula) and northwestern Venezuela (west and north of the Andes)
Species Overview
The Red-billed Emerald is a small, compact hummingbird of arid and semi-arid habitats. Males are brilliant green with a contrasting red bill and metallic gloss. It prefers dry forest, thorn scrub, and forest margins, where it is often seen darting between low flowering shrubs. Its subtle beauty, especially in harsh dry environments, makes it stand out among Colombia's hummingbird diversity.
Male Description:
Glittering green plumage with a bright red lower mandible, darker upper mandible, and forked green tail. The bill is straight and slender. Plumage reflects more intensely in sunlight.
Female Description:
Grayish underparts, green upperparts, white postocular stripe, and a red-based lower mandible. Tail with green central feathers and dusky outer feathers with white tips.
Habitat & Behavior:
Favors dry or open areas with scattered flowering plants. Common in scrub, dry forest edges, coffee plantations, and gardens. Feeds low to the ground by hovering and sometimes perching. Territorial around nectar-rich patches. Moves rapidly and erratically in short flights between feeding stations.
Conservation Note:
The species is locally common and well adapted to semi-arid and altered landscapes. While deforestation affects forest specialists, the Red-billed Emerald thrives in open-country habitats and shows no signs of significant decline. It is considered stable across its range.
Below is the Red-billed Emerald (Chlorostilbon gibsoni nitens)
Photographed at Camarones, La Guajira, Colombia
These individuals belong to the subspecies nitens, which is found in extreme northern Colombia and into northwestern Venezuela. This population occupies dry forest, thorn scrub, and coastal desert zones. The nitens form is generally smaller and paler overall, with less extensive green iridescence than southern forms, and shows strong adaptation to arid environments.
Below is the Red-billed Emerald (Chlorostilbon gibsoni gibsoni)
Photographed at Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia
These individuals belong to the subspecies gibsoni, which occurs in the upper Magdalena Valley of central Colombia. This form typically inhabits drier inter-Andean valleys and scrubby open areas. It is characterized by its rich green plumage, contrasting red bill, and bright overall iridescence, particularly in males.
