The Story
This Andean Emerald (Uranomitra franciae) was photographed at Birdwatch La Conchita, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 1,950 meters. The adult female looks like the male, but her crown is turquoise-blue to greenish and less glittering, and juveniles resemble females with brownish edges on the upperparts. It lives in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, from 600 to 2,100 meters. Besides nectar, it catches insects by flying out from a perch, and the female incubates two eggs for 19 to 24 days. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L for this one, at 1/500 sec, f/6.7, ISO 1600, −1 EV. Cali, Yumbo, La Cumbre and Dagua have committed to conserving the San Antonio–Km 18 Key Biodiversity Area, its forest and its water sources.
©2023 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