Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

Despite the species’ common name, this male bird isn’t exactly green; it’s predominantly turquoise. While turquoise hues are often described as blue-green blends, the green honeycreeper’s handle is a nod to the female’s coloration. That makes this bird something of a rarity; there aren’t too many species with a common name based on attributes of the female (as opposed to the male).

I hoped to see this Central and South American rainforest tanager during my family’s 2023 trip to Belize. Alas, it was one of the “species that got away.” Naively, I thought I might even see a pair, but I’ve since learned that even during breeding season, the female green honeycreeper rules the roost, and although the male will help feed the nestlings once they’re born, the female makes sure he’s around only enough to contribute. During the rest of the year, females are aggressively solitary and will chase male green honeycreepers away from preferred feeding areas along with birds of other species.

The honeycreeper’s curved beak makes it pretty easy to dine on nectar, but “honey” – defined broadly here, and meaning plant nectars of all kinds – actually makes up only about 20% of their diet. Fruit and seeds are a honeycreeper’s dietary staples (about 60%), with insects representing the smallest piece of the honeycreeper’s pie. 

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.