Versicolored Emerald

Scientific name: Chrysuronia versicolor

The Versicolored Emerald is a small, widespread hummingbird of central and eastern South America, occurring from Colombia and Venezuela through much of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. The number of mature individuals is unknown, the population is considered stable, it is treated as non-migratory, and it is currently listed as Least Concern with six recognized subspecies.

At a Glance

• Family: Trochilidae (hummingbirds)

• Clade: Trochilini – Emeralds

• Genus group: Chrysuronia — 10 species, 24 subspecies

• Range: Central and eastern South America, including Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas margin, much of Brazil, northern Bolivia, eastern Paraguay, and far northeastern Argentina, largely avoiding the driest Caatinga and much of the central Amazon interior.

• Habitat: A wide range of semi-open habitats with scattered trees, including woodland edges, savannas, shrubby areas, riverine forest borders, plantations, pastures with trees, and urban and suburban parks and gardens; generally, avoids dense primary forest interior.

• Elevation: Mostly from near sea level to roughly 1,500 m, occurring in lowlands and foothills.

• Length: About 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in).

• Weight: Only a few grams, typical of a small emerald hummingbird.

• Number of mature individuals: Unknown

• Population trend: Stable

• Status: Least Concern (IUCN)

Name Origin
The genus name Chrysuronia derives from Greek roots meaning “golden tail,” referring to the golden or bronzy tails of several species in this genus. The species name versicolor means “variously colored” or “of changing colors,” alluding to the striking variation in throat and crown coloration across its subspecies and individuals. The English name “Versicolored Emerald” emphasizes both this variable coloration and its placement among the emerald hummingbirds.

Subspecies & Distribution

• Chrysuronia versicolor millerii
  Distribution: Tropical Colombia east of the Andes, central and southern Venezuela, and northwest Brazil.

• Chrysuronia versicolor hollandi
  Distribution: Southeastern Venezuela and western Guyana.

• Chrysuronia versicolor nitidifrons
  Distribution: Northeastern Brazil from northeast Pará to Ceará and Piauí.

• Chrysuronia versicolor versicolor
  Distribution: Southeastern Brazil (Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo), extending north to Alagoas.

• Chrysuronia versicolor kubtchecki
  Distribution: Northeastern Bolivia, eastern Paraguay, extreme northeastern Argentina (Misiones, Corrientes), and southwestern Brazil east to Goiás.

• Chrysuronia versicolor rondoniae
  Distribution: Known only from the right bank of the Rio Madeira in western Brazil (Rondônia) and northern Bolivia.

Taken together, Chrysuronia versicolor forms a broad but patchy band across central and eastern South America, occupying semi-open habitats with trees from eastern Colombia and Venezuela through much of Brazil and into Bolivia, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina.

Legend
Green Resident

Species Overview
The Versicolored Emerald is a common, adaptable small hummingbird of semi-open landscapes, thriving where scattered trees, shrubs, and human-modified habitats provide continuous nectar sources. It is especially frequent along forest edges, river margins, savannas with trees, plantations, and in parks and gardens, where it can be one of the more regularly observed hummingbirds. Its plumage shows notable geographic variation, particularly in the color of the throat and crown, which range from green or turquoise to whitish or bluish depending on subspecies and region.

Male Description
Adult males have coppery- to golden-green upperparts and flanks, with a white central belly and undertail region. The tail is coppery-green with a darker subterminal band, often flashing bronzy or golden tones in good light. The bill is relatively long, slightly decurved, black with a flesh-colored to orangish base to the lower mandible. Throat, face-sides, and crown vary by subspecies: inland and some northeastern forms have greenish or turquoise throats, others show bluish throats, while coastal and some northern populations can have largely whitish throats that continue the white belly; the crown in many populations is green, but in some subspecies it can be more turquoise or azure. Overall, males appear as small, bright emerald hummingbirds with a white belly, coppery-green tail, and a throat that shifts from green to blue to whitish depending on where they occur.

Female Description
Females are similar in basic pattern to males, with green upperparts, a white central belly, and coppery-green tail with a darker subterminal band, but their throat is usually less intensely colored. In many populations the female’s throat is whitish or pale with fine green or bluish spotting or scaling, and the face and crown may be slightly duller than in adult males. The bill shape and coloration are like the male’s, with a mostly dark bill and paler base to the lower mandible. In the field, females look like small green hummingbirds with a white belly and softer, more lightly marked throats compared to the more uniformly colored or brighter-throated males.

Habitat & Behavior
Versicolored Emeralds occupy a wide variety of semi-open habitats with scattered trees, including savannas, shrubby areas, forest edges, riverine borders, plantations, pastures with trees, and urban parks and gardens. They generally avoid the dense interiors of humid primary forests, instead favoring edges, gaps, and areas where light reaches the understory and shrubs can flower. They feed on nectar from numerous flowering trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants and also take small insects and spiders for protein, catching them in short sallies or gleaning from foliage. Birds may defend rich nectar sources but also follow trap-line routes between flowering patches; they are considered resident throughout most of the range, with no major migratory movements known.

Population
The total number of mature individuals is unknown, but the Versicolored Emerald is described as widespread and generally fairly common across much of its broad range. It can be locally abundant in suitable semi-open habitats and even appears to benefit in some areas from deforestation that creates more edges and open country with scattered trees and flowering shrubs. Overall, the population is considered stable, with no evidence of significant declines at the continental scale.

Conservation
The Versicolored Emerald is assessed as Least Concern due to its extensive range, adaptability to a variety of semi-open habitats, and stable population trend. Habitat loss in dense forest regions may have limited local effects, but the species’ use of edges, secondary growth, agricultural mosaics, and urban green spaces allows it to persist and even thrive in many human-modified landscapes. Conservation actions that maintain hedgerows, flowering trees, and wooded strips in agricultural and urban areas, along with protection of natural savannas and riparian corridors, will continue to support this species and other nectar-feeding birds.

---

Below is the Versicolored Emerald (Chrysuronia versicolor versicolor)

Photographed at Pousada da Fazenda and Eldorado--Recanto Gavião-de-penacho, São Paulo, Brazil

These individuals belong to the subspecies versicolor, found in southeastern Brazil from Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo south through São Paulo. It inhabits forest edges, gardens, and shrubby areas where flowering plants are abundant. This subspecies is characterized by its intensely glittering green body plumage with a bluish tinge and frequent presence near urban gardens and reserves.

---

Photographed in Manaus, Bonfim, Roraima, Brazil

These individuals belong to the subspecies millerii, which occurs in northern South America east of the Andes, including Colombia, Venezuela, and northwestern Brazil. This population shows slight differences in plumage tone compared to southern subspecies and prefers more humid tropical forest edge and garden habitats.

Checkout Anthony’s playlist of this species! Click the top right dropdown to see all the videos.

Related species in the Chrysuronia genus (10 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.