# Puerto Rican Emerald

Scientific name: Riccordia maugeaus

Bird group: [hummingbird](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/hummingbird)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/96/Puerto-Rican-Emerald

## Identification

The Puerto Rican emerald (Riccordia maugeaus), or zumbadorcito de Puerto Rico in Spanish, is an endemic hummingbird found only in the archipelago of Puerto Rico.


## Distribution and habitat

The Puerto Rican Emerald is a hummingbird endemic 
to Puerto Rico and relatively 
common in most of the main 
island, except on the east coast, 
Culebra, and Vieques (Oberle 
2018). It is absent from satellite 
islands except Vieques where 
it was first documented in 
2003 and is considered a rare 
visitor (Gemmill 2015). This 
hummingbird occurs in mountain 
forests, shade coffee plantations, 
lowland wooded areas including 
dry coastal habitats, mangroves, 
and gardens (Gemmill 2015, 
Oberle 2018, Raffaele and others 
1998). The atlas fieldwork yielded a total of 200 records 
within 137 hexagons or 29 
percent of the 479 total hexagons 
(see map). Of the 137 hexagons 
where the Puerto Rican Emerald 
was found, breeding met the 
atlas definition of confirmed in 
11 percent (15) of the hexagons, 
probable in 7 percent (10), and 
possible in 82 percent (112) 
(see map). Puerto Rican Emerald distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones 
in Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.

## Breeding

The Puerto Rican Emerald builds a cup-shaped nest made of soft 
fibers (including spider webs) 
coated with lichens (Raffaele 
1989a). Previously published 
reports indicate that it breeds       87Puerto Rican Emerald/Zumbadorcito de Puerto Ricoprimarily from February to May but also irregularly throughout 
the year (Raffaele and others 
1998). Atlas results suggest that 
this species breeding season 
extends throughout the year, 
with the most breeding activity 
from March through June (see 
chart). Overall, the breeding 
activity peaks in April, and it 
mostly occurs in the subtropical 
moist forest life zone. Results 
show that this species breeds 
throughout most of the island, 
mainly within the subtropical moist forest life zone (47 percent 
of the hexagons) (see table). It 
also breeds within subtropical 
wet and lower montane wet 
forest life zones at higher 
elevations (33 percent of the 
hexagons), as well as in the 
subtropical dry forest life zone 
(20 percent of the hexagons) 
(see table and map).

## Conservation

The overall population size of the Puerto Rican Emerald has 
not been quantified, but this species is described as common 
and is listed as a species of least 
concern by the IUCN (BirdLife 
International 2016). Locally, 
it is not listed in any of the 
threatened categories used by 
PRDNER and USFWS. In Puerto 
Rico, the Puerto Rican Emerald 
has a protected habitat in land 
of 15 percent or 502 km2 of the total area covered by the 
hexagons where evidence of 
breeding was found for this 
species (3278 km2). 

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_096_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_096_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.