Green Honeycreeper

Chlorophanes spiza

Males flash pure emerald green with a black hood. Probes fruit, flowers, and nectar across the Amazon canopy.

Population: 500,000–4,999,999 mature individuals globally (Partners in Flight 2019 estimate, per BirdLife International/IUCN 2021 assessment); population trend classified as undergoing a moderate decline, not steep enough to raise the threat category
Habitat: Humid evergreen forest canopy and edges, secondary growth, plantations (especially cacao and coffee), and gardens in tropical lowlands, from sea level up to about 1,600 m elevation; often joins mixed-species flocks
Fun fact: The Green Honeycreeper is the only species in its genus, Chlorophanes, and shows striking sexual dimorphism — males are blue-tinged green with a contrasting black head and bright yellow bill, while females are uniformly grass-green with a paler throat and lack the male's iridescence.
Range: Neotropics: non-migratory resident across 17 countries from southern Mexico through Central America and northern/central South America to Bolivia and southern Brazil, plus Trinidad; extent of occurrence approximately 16,500,000 km²
Diet: Primarily fruit and seeds (~60% of diet), supplemented with nectar (~20%) and insects (~15%); less nectar-dependent than other honeycreepers; often forages with mixed-species flocks
Size: 0.135 m
Lifespan: 8 years

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