Based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 and a 2017 publication, the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and the Clements taxonomy moved it to the resurrected genus Riccordia.

Males have a bill whose mandible is red and the maxilla black, and that is slightly decurved at the outer end.

The outermost pair of tail feathers have a gray base, a wide dark brown band near the end, and a white tip.

[9] The Hispaniolan emerald's breeding season extends from January to June and occasionally as late as August.

It makes a cup nest of moss and plant fibers bound with spiderweb and covered with lichen.

The Hispaniolan emerald makes "[s]harp metallic chipping notes", sometimes in a long series.

[1] Though Hispaniola is a large island, the species is threatened by deforestation, especially in Haiti; however, it is confirmed to occur in at least two protected areas in that country.