Bird Guide

Shining-green Hummingbird vs White-chested Emerald

Shining-green Hummingbird (Chrysuronia goudoti)

Shining-green Hummingbird

Chrysuronia goudoti

Tiny4 gShrubland

The shining-green hummingbird is 9 to 9.5 cm (3.5 to 3.7 in) long. Males weigh about 4.1 g (0.14 oz) and females about 3.7 g (0.13 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a straightish bill with a black maxilla and a mostly pink mandible. Adult males of the nominate subspecies C. g. goudoti have green upperparts. Their underparts are mostly shining bluish green with a whitish belly and green undertail coverts with white edges. Their tail is forked; its central feathers are bronze-black and the outer ones blue-black. Adult females' upperparts are like the male's. Voice: What is thought to be the shining-green hummingbird's song is "a short, thin ‘lisping’ rattle initiated with an upslurred note...rapidly repeated 10–12 times, 'pee-rrrr..pee-rrrr..peer-rrrr..'." Its calls include "chips and a high-pitched descending trill."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: GERMAN LEONEL SARMIENTO CRUZ · CC BY 4.0
White-chested Emerald (Chrysuronia brevirostris)

White-chested Emerald

Chrysuronia brevirostris

Tiny5 gForest

The white-chested emerald is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long. Males weigh about 4.6 g (0.16 oz) and females 4.4 g (0.16 oz). Adults of both sexes of all subspecies have a short, straight, blackish bill and the sexes are almost alike in plumage. The nominate subspecies has iridescent turquoise-green crown and cheeks and shining bronze-green upperparts that become coppery on the rump. Its central tail feathers are coppery and the outer ones bronze to copperish with blackish bars near the end of their underside. Its underside from throat to belly is white with bronze-green sides and flanks. Voice: The white-chested emerald's song is variable but always "nasal and squeaky". Some typical phrases are described as "tsri-lee … tsri-lee ... tsri-lee", "tee-tink-tink-tink .. tsee-tink ... tee-tink-tink-tink … tsee-tink ...", or "teee-tjitjitjitjitji ..... teee-tjitjitjitjitji...".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Tom Kennedy · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Shining-green Hummingbird and White-chested Emerald.