The Story
This Andean Emerald (Uranomitra franciae) was at Finca Alejandría at Km 18 above Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia when I photographed it. Breeding activity has been recorded at almost every time of year. It forages by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of nectar sources. Besides nectar, it catches insects by flying out from a perch. Finca Alejandría sits in cloud forest at Km 18 on the road from Cali to Buenaventura, and it is an eBird hotspot with more than 340 bird species recorded, about 40 of them hummingbirds. IUCN lists the Andean Emerald 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 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. The finca has run as a birdwatching ecotourism project for more than twenty years, and visitors’ support helps keep its feeders stocked with bananas, sugar and water.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Andean Emerald (Uranomitra franciae) 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