Chrysuronia brevirostris (R.Lesson, 1829)

Size and Weight

The white-chested emerald (Chrysuronia brevirostris) measures 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) in total length. Males weigh approximately 4.6 g (0.16 oz), while females weigh around 4.4 g (0.16 oz).

Shared Bill and Plumage Traits

For all subspecies, adults of both sexes share a short, straight, blackish bill, and the plumage of the two sexes is almost identical.

Nominate Subspecies Head and Upperparts

The nominate subspecies has iridescent turquoise-green crown and cheeks, and shining bronze-green upperparts that fade to a coppery tone on the rump.

Nominate Subspecies Tail Features

Its central tail feathers are coppery, and the outer tail feathers range from bronze to copperish, with blackish bars near the end of their underside.

Nominate Subspecies Underside Coloring

The underside from throat to belly is white, with bronze-green coloring on the sides and flanks. The undertail coverts are golden-green with white edges.

Sexual Plumage Differences

Females differ from males only by having grayish tips on their outer tail feathers.

Juvenile Plumage

Juveniles have similar plumage to adult females, and have a yellowish to reddish base to their mandible.

Subspecies C. b. chionopectus Traits

Subspecies C. b. chionopectus is noticeably larger than the other two subspecies, but shares the same plumage pattern as the nominate.

Subspecies C. b. orienticola Traits

C. b. orienticola is similar to the nominate, but has darker, more bronze-colored upperparts and flanks.

Nominate Subspecies Distribution

Among the three subspecies of the white-chested emerald, the nominate subspecies has the widest distribution. It occurs in eastern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and extreme northern Brazil's Roraima state.

Other Subspecies Distributions

C. b. chionopectus is found only on Trinidad, and C. b. orienticola occurs only in coastal French Guiana.

General Species Habitat

The species as a whole lives in a wide range of landscapes, including rainforest, semi-deciduous forest, gallery forest, secondary forest, scrublands, savanna, and some cultivated areas.

C. b. chionopectus Habitat Preference

C. b. chionopectus prefers more open landscapes, including cacao plantations.

C. b. orienticola Occurrence Notes

Very few specimens or sightings of C. b. orienticola exist, and all recorded occurrences are from coastal areas.