The Puerto Rican Emerald (Chlorostilbon maugeaus) – in Spanish: Zumbadorcito de Puerto Rico – is a hummingbird found only in Puerto Rico – an island group located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea.
They mainly occur in the mountainous regions of Puerto Rico, but are also found along the southwest coast of the main island.
Rican Emeralds are known for their extreme territorial behavior and are often observed defending their feeding or breeding territories with intense aerial pursuits of intruders.
Hummingbirds found in Puerto Rico
Description
Puerto Rican Emerald hummingbirds measure 3.5 – 4.3 inches or 9-11 cm in length (including tail) and weigh between 0.10 – 0.13 oz or 2.8 to 3.6 grams.
Puerto Rican Emeralds have long pointed bills and long tubular tongues, which are perfectly adapted to probing in long tubular flowers for their favorite food source, nectar.
Adult males have iridescent green feathers on its body and a black tail.
Adult females look similar, but can be identified by the white breast and white outer tail feathers.
Nesting / Breeding
Puerto Rican Emeralds generally breed throughout the year; however, most breeding activities are observed before the beginning of the wet season – from February to May.
Diet / Feeding
The Puerto Rican Emerald Hummingbirds primarily feed on nectar taken from a variety of brightly colored, scented small flowers of trees, herbs, shrubs and epiphytes.
They favor flowers with the highest sugar content (often red-colored and tubular-shaped) and seek out, and aggressively protect, those areas containing flowers with high energy nectar.
Hummingbird Resources
- Hummingbird Information
- Hummingbird Amazing Facts
- Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Garden
- Hummingbird Species
- Feeding Hummingbirds
