Identification
A pugnacious hummingbird that feeds on flowers and insects and is sometimes found flycatching. Inhabits a broad range of habitats. Often tame around humans. The long-tailed male is swathed entirely in iridescent green and has a distinctive red base to the bill, except for a white patch below the belly and a white spot behind the eye. The female is metallic green above, dingy white below, and has a relatively long, forked tail. The female Bee Hummingbird is much smaller, shorter billed, shorter tailed, and is iridescent turquoise above unlike the Cuban Emerald. Female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have shorter, unforked tails with white on the tail tip. Vocalizations include a prolonged jumbled series of high-pitched squeaks and buzzes and a high-pitched but descending “tsee, tsee, tsee, tse, tse.”