Chrysuronia versicolor
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The versicoloured emerald (Chrysuronia versicolor) is a species of hummingbird from central and eastern South America. The taxonomy is very complex and remains a matter of dispute. The nominate subspecies (C. v. versicolor) occurs in two main morphs; a white-throated coastal type and a green/turquoise-throated inland type. At some localities individuals with intermediate features are commonly seen, but at others the two morphs seemingly co-occur without signs of intergradation. The coastal morph was formerly known as C. brevirostris, but a review lead to this name being considered to belong to the white-chested emerald of northern South America. Recently, it has been suggested that the coastal type should remain as C. brevirostris, but this has been disputed, and has yet to gain wide recognition.
The exact distribution limits between several subspecies of the versicoloured emerald are poorly known, and, in addition to the coastal nominate, some other subspecies have been considered separate species, especially the blue-green emerald (C. (v.) rondoniae), also known as the Rondonia emerald. This was based on plumage and reported sympatry with C. versicolor (ssp?), but... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 7 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brasilia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Santos | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque das Aves | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Versicolored Emerald sighting in Iguazú National Park on a given day, based on 750 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 83rd most-seen of the 343 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–May and July–August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Versicolored Emerald in Iguazú National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June and September–December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Versicolored Emerald sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Versicolored Emerald sightings, Iguazú National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Itatiaia National Park (Brazil, about 20%).
Same family: Trochilidae
The closest relatives of the Versicolored Emerald that you can see in Iguazú National Park (family Trochilidae, Hummingbirds) are Violet-capped Woodnymph (about 20%), Gilded Hummingbird (about 10%) and Scale-throated Hermit (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Versicolored Emerald is recorded against all the birds logged in Iguazú National Park (750 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
