The Story
This Buff-tailed Coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens) landed on a slender moss-covered branch at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, where mist curled through the ferns. Her coppery throat caught the stray light, and the muted tones of the cloud forest surrounded her. Coronets feed by clinging to a flower and holding their wings open for a second or two after landing. The species lives in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, from 2,000 to 3,500 meters, and shows cinnamon underwing coverts in flight. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed her with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/125 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800, +1.5 EV. Cali, Yumbo, La Cumbre and Dagua have committed to conserving the San Antonio–Km 18 Key Biodiversity Area, the cloud forest around La Minga, along with its water sources.
©2025 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Buff-tailed Coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens) 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 2025), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List