The Story
I photographed this Long-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii) at El Palmar, the entrance to the Alto Combeima forest reserve in the Cañón del Combeima above Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia, at about 2,627 meters. Its emerald green feathers and elongated tail stand out against the soft green background. Its breeding season is known to run from February to October, though it may breed at any time of year. At high elevations it feeds lower down, at elfin forest and high grassland, rather than in the treetops. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L for this one, at 1/500 sec, f/9.5, ISO 12800. Cortolima, Tolima’s environmental authority, has brought local children to El Palmar for World Migratory Bird Day birding outings.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Long-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii) 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
