The Story
I photographed this Buff-tailed Coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens) at the Recinto del Pensamiento in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. The Buff-tailed Coronet feeds by clinging to the flower and holds its wings open for a second or two after landing. It usually forages in the middle story but also feeds in the canopy. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, between about 2,000 and 3,500 meters. 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 1/60 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