The Story
I photographed this Azure-crowned Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanocephala) at Villa Verde, in the city of Gracias, Lempira, Honduras, by the entrance to Celaque National Park. A little pollen shows on its bill. Its range runs from Mexico to Nicaragua at about 600 to 2,400 meters, and it builds a cup nest from whatever materials are locally available. It feeds on nectar at every level from the understory to the canopy. The species also lives in Belize, El Salvador and Guatemala. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/1500 sec, f/16, ISO 3200, −1 EV. Celaque protects Cerro Las Minas, at 2,849 meters the highest point in Honduras, and its rivers supply water to more than 120 communities, including Gracias.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Azure-crowned Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanocephala) 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 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List