The Story
I photographed this male Blue-headed Sapphire (Chrysuronia grayi) at Mirador Barlovento above Pradera, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, in the Andean foothills, in soft late-afternoon light. He is shown in profile on a green stem. His violet-blue head flows into emerald green across the back and wings, his long coral-red bill makes a bold line, and his dark body and subtle white undertail stand out against the forest behind. It is one of Colombia’s more localized hummingbirds, living in inter-Andean valleys from Valle del Cauca into Ecuador, and it appears able to use altered, open and cultivated areas. 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 1/350 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800, −0.5 EV. Mirador Barlovento sits above Pradera on the western flank of the Cordillera Central.
©2026 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Blue-headed Sapphire (Chrysuronia grayi) 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 2022), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List