Coppery-headed Emerald

Identification

The coppery-headed emerald is a diminutive hummingbird, measuring just 7.5 cm in length and weighing only 3.0 to 3.3 g. Both sexes sport a moderately decurved bill with a pinkish base on the mandible. The adult male is distinctive, featuring a dull coppery bronze crown contrasting with a bronze-green nape, back, and rump. Bright coppery bronze uppertail coverts are particularly striking, while the central tail feathers are bronze and the outer feathers are predominantly white with pale gray or black tips. The male's underparts gleam with bright yellowish metallic green plumage, accented by white undertail coverts. Notably, males in the far northern Cordillera de Guanacaste display a purple spot at the center of the breast. The adult female is more subdued, with metallic green upperparts and duller white to grayish-white underparts that brighten toward the vent, complemented by metallic green spots along the flanks.

Range & Habitat

This emerald is endemic to the highlands of northern and central Costa Rica, primarily inhabiting the Caribbean slope, though the far-northern populations also frequent the Pacific slope. The species occupies elevations from 300 to 1,500 m on the Caribbean side, but rarely descends below 1,200 m on the Pacific slope. Coppery-headed emeralds favour the edges and interior of moist to humid montane forest, where males typically forage in the canopy while females prefer the understory, though both sexes occur at all levels in semi-open areas and clearings.

Behaviour & Diet

These hummingbirds are highly specialized nectarivores, visiting a diverse array of flowering plants including genera such as Besleria, Cavendishia, Clusia, Guarea, Pithecellobium, Quararibea, Satyria, and Inga. Beyond nectar, they supplement their diet by gleaning small arthropods from foliage and capturing prey through aerial hawking from perches. Following the breeding season, which extends from October to March, birds descend to lower elevations. During breeding, males gather at leks where they sing from perches and chase rivals to court females. Females construct delicate cup nests from plant down and tree fern scales bound with spiderweb, typically placing them 1 to 3 m above ground in understory locations or forest edges. Each clutch consists of two eggs.

Best Time & Places to See It

The coppery-headed emerald is fairly common throughout its range and can be found in many protected areas across Costa Rica's highlands. The breeding season from October to March offers the best opportunity to observe males at their leks, where their characteristic "high, thin, twittering and warbling" song fills the montane forest. After breeding, birds move to lower elevations within their range, making them more accessible to travellers visiting mid-elevation cloud forests.

Photography Tips

Photographing this species requires patience and attention to light. The male's coppery crown and metallic underparts are highly reflective; position yourself to capture side-lighting that accentuates these iridescent features. Forest edge and semi-open clearings offer better photographic conditions than dense canopy. Early morning visits to flowering plants and shrubs will increase your chances of encounters. The bird's small size and rapid movements demand fast shutter speeds and careful focus tracking. Males at leks provide excellent opportunities for behaviour photography during the October-to-March breeding season.