Chrysuronia versicolor
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Versicolored Emerald sighting in Sierra de la Macarena National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 258th most-seen of the 418 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Versicolored Emerald in Sierra de la Macarena National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to March, the lowest months. Those are among Sierra de la Macarena National Park's wettest months, with about 370 mm of rain a month against 95 mm in January.
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.
6th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Versicolored Emerald sightings, Sierra de la Macarena National Park ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Itatiaia National Park (Brazil, about 20%), Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 20%) and Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Versicolored Emerald is recorded against all the birds logged in Sierra de la Macarena National Park (23 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.
