The Story
This Buff-tailed Coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens) was at the Recinto del Pensamiento in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia when I photographed it. The Buff-tailed Coronet is found in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, between about 2,000 and 3,500 meters. It is highly territorial, though it may share a flowering tree with other hummingbirds. It feeds by clinging to the flower and holds its wings open for a second or two after landing. The Recinto del Pensamiento is a 179-hectare nature reserve of Andean cloud forest above 2,000 meters, at Km 11 on the road from Manizales to the Magdalena. IUCN lists the Buff-tailed Coronet as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/80 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200, +1 EV. The reserve belongs to the Comité Departamental de Cafeteros de Caldas and is run by the Corporación para el Desarrollo de Caldas to promote nature tourism in Manizales.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Buff-tailed Coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens) 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 2025), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List