Appearance

The Green Honeycreeper, Chlorophanes spiza, is a small green tanager. One of the most distinctive features of this species is the slender, slightly decurved bill, which is mostly yellow. The male is a brighter, bluer green in color, with a broad black mask. Females are a duller, more uniform green.

Male Green Honeycreepers are easily recognizable by their bright glossy plumage, black mask, and bright yellow, slender, slightly decurved bill. Duller females are less distinctive. The females are generally larger than the similar Blue Dacnis (Dacnis cayana), and have a longer, more decurved, yellow bill; dark tarsi; and have a green (not blue) crown. Female Green Honeycreepers perhaps also can be confused with dull, immature Bay-headed Tanagers (Tangara gyrola), but the tanager has a shorter, deeper, all dark bill, and is larger.

Sexes are similar in size, but the female is green and has no black plumage around the head. The following description is based in Ridgway (1902):

Adult male: Crown, sides of head (including malar region), and chin deep black. Otherwise glossy viridian green, appearing more bluish when viewed from some angles. Primary coverts and remiges dusky, edged with viridian green; central rectrices green with a median black stripe.

Adult female: Upperparts yellowish grass green. Underparts paler green.

Juvenile: Juveniles of both sexes resemble the females, but are duller in color. Further described by Stiles and Skutch (1989) as similar to the adult female "but paler and duller below, belly more grayish."

No information.

Iris: Bright reddish brown (Wetmore et al.  1984). Iris of juveniles a duller reddish brown (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Bill: In male, mandible and lower parts of maxilla bright honey yellow, culmen black; in female, maxilla black, base of gonys and tip of mandible dusky neutral gray, rest of mandible dull honey yellow (Wetmore et al. 1984).

Tarsi: In both sexes, tarsi and toes are gray with yellow toes pads (Wetmore et al. 1984).

Total length: 13 cm (Isler and Isler 1999).

Mass, both sexes: mean 19 g (range 14-23 g; Isler and Isler 1999).

Mass, male: mean 18.7 g (range 17-21 g; n=36; ffrench 1991).

Mass, female: mean 18.6 g (range 15-22 g; n=20; ffrench 1991).