Green-tailed Emerald

Locally common and widespread across the Coastal Cordillera; one of the easier Venezuelan endemics. Regular at cloud-forest edges and gardens/feeders in the right elevation band. Note IUCN/HBW taxonomy lumps it with Short-tailed Emerald, so it is not always assessed under its own name.

Small emerald: male glittering green overall (bright green throat and underparts) with a slightly forked, glittering green to bluish-green tail and a short straight black bill. Female greener above, grayish-white below with green flecking on the sides, and small white postocular spot and dusky cheek. The all-green tail (not bronzy/blue) and small size are key.

Semi-open edges of semi-humid forest, cloud forest, secondary growth, plantations, gardens and sometimes dry forest; roughly 700–1,800 m, locally lower.

Active, low-to-mid-level forager at flowering shrubs, gardens and forest edge; visits feeders; males perch on exposed twigs and defend flower patches with rapid chases.

High, dry, rapid twittering and thin chip notes typical of Chlorostilbon emeralds. Search Xeno-canto / Macaulay Library for 'Chlorostilbon alice' or 'Green-tailed Emerald'; compare with 'Short-tailed Emerald' (Chlorostilbon poortmani) to train the ear on the genus.

Reliable consolation/warm-up endemic on any Coastal Cordillera circuit — work feeders and flowering shrubs at Rancho Grande or Colonia Tovar and you should connect quickly. Emphasize the wholly green (not bronze or blue) tail to clients, since the emerald genus is a classic 'small green confusion group'.