The Story
I made this photo of a Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) at Murillo, Tolima, Colombia. It also catches small insects on the wing. Its breeding seasons vary widely along its long north-south range. It takes nectar from many flowering plants, hovering or clinging, and sometimes piercing the base of a flower. Murillo, at about 3,000 meters, is the highest town in Tolima, close enough to Nevado del Ruiz that the volcano is easy to see. Murillo lies about 130 km from Ibagué and 78 km from Manizales. Cortolima lists Murillo among Tolima’s birding routes.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200. IUCN lists the Tyrian Metaltail as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) 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
