White-bellied Emerald

Overview

The white-bellied emerald (Chlorestes candida) is a species of hummingbird within the tribe Trochilini. It is found across Central America, ranging from Mexico to Nicaragua.

Identification

• Adults are 8 to 11 cm long and weigh between 2.9 and 4.3 g, with metallic bronze to bronzy green upperparts.
• Underparts are white, transitioning to metallic bronzy green from the cheeks to the flanks.
• The tail is metallic bronze, featuring broad purplish bronze or blackish bands on all but the central pair of feathers.
• Song consists of a varied, high, thin, slightly shrill chipping described as "tsi'si-sit' tsi-tsin'", while calls include rolled or trilled chips like "trirr" and "ti-ti".

Habitat

The species inhabits the interior and edges of lowland evergreen and semi-deciduous forests. It occurs from sea level up to 1,600 m elevation, with the nominate subspecies found on the Caribbean slope from southern Mexico through Nicaragua.

Diet

Its principal diet is nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants, which it feeds on low to the ground but also regularly forages for in the canopy. It also seeks insect prey in foliage.

Did you know?

Although the white-bellied emerald is typically dominated by the larger rufous-tailed hummingbird, researchers in 2019 documented a female white-bellied emerald feeding a juvenile rufous-tailed hummingbird.