Cuban emerald

The Cuban emerald was formerly placed in the genus Chlorostilbon. Based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 and a 2017 publication, the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and the Clements taxonomy moved it to the resurrected genus Riccordia.{{ cite journal | last1=McGuire | first1=J. | last2=Witt | first2=C. | last3=Remsen | first3=J.V. | last4=Corl | first4=A. | last5=Rabosky | first5=D. | last6=Altshuler | first6=D. | last7=Dudley | first7=R. | date=2014 | title=Molecular phylogenetics and the diversification of hummingbirds | journal=Current Biology | volume=24 | issue=8 | pages=910–916 | doi=10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.016 | pmid=24704078 | doi-access=free }}{{ cite journal | last1=Stiles | first1=F.G. | last2=Remsen | first2=J.V. Jr. | last3=Mcguire | first3=J.A. | year=2017 | title=The generic classification of the Trochilini (Aves: Trochilidae): Reconciling taxonomy with phylogeny | journal=Zootaxa | volume=4353 | issue=3 | pages=401–424 | doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4353.3 | pmid=29245495 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321277435 }}{{cite web |url=http://checklist.aou.org/taxa |title=Check-list of North and Middle American Birds |author= |date=June 29, 2021 |publisher=American Ornithological Society |access-date=August 9, 2021 }}Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 25, 2021 However, as of 2020 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) retained it in Chlorostilbon.

The Cuban emerald is monotypic. However, the extinct Brace's emerald (R. bracei) was at one time treated as a subspecies of it.Bündgen, R. and G. M. Kirwan (2021). Cuban Emerald (Riccordia ricordii), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.cubeme1.01.1 retrieved July 29, 2022

File:Cuban emerald (Chlorostilbon ricordii ricordii) male in flight cr.jpg

Male Cuban emeralds are {{convert|10.5|to|11.5|cm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and females {{convert|9.5|to|10.5|cm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}. The species weighs between {{convert|2.5|and|5|g|oz|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}. Males have a short, slightly decurved, black-tipped bill whose mandible is dull black and the maxilla red. It has a small whitish spot behind the eye. Its upperparts are dark shining green with a bronze tinge; the crown is darker and duller. Its underparts are mostly iridescent metallic green with white undertail coverts. The tail is deeply forked. Its innermost four pairs of feathers are dark metallic bronze to greenish bronze and the outermost pair similar with dark brown inner webs. Female's upperparts are similar to the male's. It has a longer whitish spot behind the eye. The underparts are mostly brownish gray with metallic green flanks and white undertail coverts. The tail is less forked than the male's but colored similarly.

The Cuban emerald is found on the main island of Cuba, the large Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Pines), and several smaller offshore cays. It is also found on Grand Bahama, Great Abaco, Andros, and Green Cay and occasionally as a stray on other islands in the Bahamas. It inhabits a variety of wooded habitats. On mainland Cuba it mostly occurs in both arid and humid open forest and on Grand Bahama in pine woods and coastal scrub forest. It also occurs in parks, gardens, and plantations. In elevation it ranges from sea level to at least {{convert|1300|m|ft|abbr=on}} but there are records at almost {{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}} on Cuba.

The Cuban emerald is generally sedentary but makes some local elevational dispersal. It has been reported as a vagrant in Florida at least 14 times but the AOS considers the records "unsubstantiated" and it is not on the official Florida state list.{{cite book | last = | first = | title =Check-list of North American Birds | publisher =American Ornithologists' Union |edition =7th | date =1998 | location =Washington, D.C. | pages =292 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.fosbirds.org/florida-bird-list.html |title=Official Florida State Bird List |date=June 22, 2021 |website= |publisher=Florida Ornithological Society |access-date=July 29, 2022 }}

The Cuban emerald forages for nectar at a variety of flowering trees and shrubs, generally staying below about {{convert|6|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} of the ground. It also feeds on small insects captured by hawking from a perch and sometimes by gleaning from spider webs.

File:Cuban emerald (Chlorostilbon ricordii ricordii) female on nest.JPG

The Cuban emerald can breed at any time of the year, but is thought to do so in Cuba mainly between April and July. It makes a cup nest of plant fiber, moss, and bark woven together with spider web and often covered with lichen and bits of bark. It places the nest in a fork, usually between {{convert|1|and|4|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} above the ground. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for 15 to 16 days and fledging occurs 19 to 22 days after hatch.

{{birdsong|url=https://xeno-canto.org/species/Chlorostilbon-ricordii |species=Cuban emerald}}

The male Cuban emerald's high-pitched song is "a rapid rolling series of 'slee' notes and sputtering metallic sounds". Females give a "high-pitched 'seeeee' flight call". They also make "a buzzy 'zzzir'" and "chi-di-dit" calls.

The IUCN has assessed the Cuban emerald as being of Least Concern, though its population size and trend are not known. It does have a large range and no immediate threats have been identified. It is considered common in most of its range and readily uses human-made habitat.

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Chlorostilbon ricordii}}

{{Wikispecies|Chlorostilbon ricordii}}

• {{VIREO|Cuban+emerald}}

• {{cite book |last1=Garrido |first1=Orlando H. |last2=Kirkconnell |first2=Arturo |title=Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba |publisher=Comstock, Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, NY |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-8014-8631-9 |page=144}}

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Cuban emerald

Category:Birds of Cuba

Category:Birds of the Bahamas

Cuban emerald

Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot

Category:Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN