The Story
I photographed this Andean Emerald (Uranomitra franciae) at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It paused on a slender branch, a moment of stillness for a normally restless bird. Its iridescent green plumage, with golden tones and a sapphire crown, came alive against a softly blurred background of forest colors, and the natural light held the white of its chest. The species lives in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, from 600 to 2,100 meters, and it is most common above 1,000 meters. The female incubates two eggs for 19 to 24 days. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/3000 sec, f/11, ISO 3200, −1.5 EV. Cali, Yumbo, La Cumbre and Dagua have committed to conserving the San Antonio–Km 18 Key Biodiversity Area, the cloud forest around La Minga, along with its water sources.
©2025 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Andean Emerald (Uranomitra franciae) belongs to the family Trochilidae (Hummingbirds) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List