The Story
I photographed this Glittering-throated Emerald (Chionomesa fimbriata) at Pozos La Chorrera, near Acacías, Meta, Colombia, in January 2020. The subspecies apicalis is the one found in Colombia east of the Andes. Males have a glittering golden-green throat and breast, and females add white bars near the ends of their throat feathers. It feeds at a huge variety of flowering plants, working a regular circuit of flowers, a habit called trap-lining. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, though its numbers are believed to be falling.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. Pozos La Chorrera is a nature stop in the Meta foothills, about 30 minutes from Acacías, with a lookout, natural pools and ecological trails.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Glittering-throated Emerald (Chionomesa fimbriata) 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