Garden Emerald vs Short-tailed Emerald

Garden Emerald

Chlorostilbon assimilis

Tiny3 gForest

The garden emerald is 7.8 to 8.5 cm (3.1 to 3.3 in) long and weighs about 3 to 4.1 g (0.11 to 0.14 oz). The adult male has dark metallic green upperparts with bluish green uppertail coverts. Its forked tail is blue-black and the central feathers have a light bluish green gloss. Its underparts are a brighter metallic green than the upperparts, sometimes with a light blue sheen, and it has white thigh tufts. The adult female has bright metallic green to bronze green upperparts with bluish green uppertail coverts. Voice: The garden emerald's vocalizations are not well known but appear to be similar to those of Canivet's emerald (Cynanthus canivetii). That species' song is believed to be "an endlessly repeated, characterless wiry tseee tseeree" and its call has been described as "a dry, scratchy chut or chit, sometimes run together into a soft, staccato chatter".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recorded by Gean Carlo Valdés · Call · Islas secas, Panama · CC0

Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K · CC BY 2.0

Short-tailed Emerald

Chlorostilbon poortmani

Tiny4 gForest

The male short-tailed emerald is 6.9 to 8.5 cm (2.7 to 3.3 in) long and females 6.5 to 7.5 cm (2.6 to 3.0 in). The species weighs between 3 and 4 g (0.11 and 0.14 oz). Both sexes of both subspecies have a straight black bill. Males of the nominate subspecies have an iridescent green forehead and bronzy green crown, upperparts, and uppertail coverts. Their underparts are brilliant glittery green. Their tail is short, forked, and iridescent bronze green. Nominate females have a dull green forehead and a dull bronzy green crown, upperparts, and uppertail coverts. Their underparts are gray. Voice: What is thought to be the short-tailed emerald's song is "a long series of high-pitched tseep notes" that is thought to be sung only in the wet season. It also makes "repeated short tsip and longer downslurred plaintive tsew...tsew.." calls.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ariel Gallego · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Garden Emerald and Short-tailed Emerald.