Plain-bellied emerald

Appearance

The plain-bellied emerald is 9 to 10 cm long. Males weigh 4 to 4.5 g and females about 4.3 g. Adults have a short, straight to slightly decurved, blackish bill with a red base to the mandible. Adult males of the nominate subspecies "C. l. leucogaster" have a glittering green crown and sides of the neck. The rest of its upperparts, flanks, and sides of the throat are golden- to bronze-green. The center of its throat and underparts are white. Its inner tail feathers are bronze-green to bronze and the outer ones bluish black. Adult females are similar to the male but have greenish spots on the sides of the throat and grayish green tips to the tail feathers. Immatures resemble the adult female with the addition of brownish edges to the feathers of the back. Subspecies "C. l. bahiae" is very similar to the nominate but less bronzy.

Distribution

The plain-bellied emerald's two subspecies have disjunct distributions, though both are coastal. The nominate is found from northeastern Venezuela through Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana into northeastern Brazil as far as Piauí state. "C. l. bahiae" is found in eastern Brazil from Pernambuco south through Alagoas, Sergipe, and Bahia slightly into Espírito Santo.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the plain-bellied emerald as being of Least Concern, though its population size and trend are not known. No immediate threats have been identified. It is described as "a rather common resident" in the northern part of its range but is not as well known in eastern Brazil.

Habitat

The species inhabits a variety of semi-open to open landscapes including mangrove, the edges of mature forest, secondary forest, "cerrado", "caatinga", and human-created areas like plantations, parks, and gardens. It is mostly found near sea level but in Venezuela is found as high as 250 m.

Reproduction

The plain-bellied emerald's breeding season in the Guianas includes July and August, and it spans from October to February in northeastern Brazil. It makes a cup nest of plant down and leaves with lichen on the outside. It typically places it on a horizontal branch or in a fork within about 5 m of the ground. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for about 14 days and fledging occurs 20 to 25 days after hatch.

Food

The plain-bellied emerald forages for nectar at a variety of flowering plants, shrubs, and trees; species in at least eleven families are known to be sources. It tends to stay near the ground and defends feeding territories. In addition to nectar it feeds on insects captured by hawking from a perch.