The Story
I photographed this Andean Emerald (Uranomitra franciae) at the Recinto del Pensamiento in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia on June 22, 2017. It is a hummingbird of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and the only member of its genus. It was formerly placed in the genus Amazilia. It feeds by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of flowers, and also catches insects from a perch. The Recinto del Pensamiento has a butterfly observatory, an orchid forest, a bird lookout and ecological trails.
I took this with a Canon EOS 70D and the EF400mm f/5.6L USM, at 1/1000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1600. IUCN lists the Andean Emerald as Least Concern with a decreasing population, and most of the Recinto del Pensamiento’s 179 hectares are a protected and productive nature reserve.
©2018 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