The Story
I photographed this Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) at Finca Ecoturística San Javier, in the vereda Chucuní near Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. It is aggressive while feeding, yet the species sometimes nests in loose colonies. It also uses low, young, brushy secondary forest, and its breeding season falls within February to November depending on the region. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It feeds on nectar and small insects.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/1500 sec, f/11, ISO 3200, −0.5 EV. Finca San Javier began as a pig farm in 1997 and turned to ecotourism in 2017, and today it offers guided birding and aims to help conserve the tropical dry forest around it.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) 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 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List