La historia
I photographed this male Steely-vented Hummingbird (Saucerottia saucerottei) at Mirador Barlovento above Pradera, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, high above the Cauca Valley. He perched on a slender twig right in front of me. His scale-like feathers on the head, back and flanks glow emerald green, shifting toward gold as the light moves, and his dark steely-blue tail and long, straight bill stand out. Adult males are glittering golden green below, with greenish to steel-blue undertail coverts. The species lives in Colombia and Venezuela, mostly between sea level and 1,500 meters. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. Little is known about its feeding habits or diet.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L for this one, at 1/1500 sec, f/6.7, ISO 3200. Mirador Barlovento sits above Pradera on the western flank of the Cordillera Central.
©2026 Adam Rainoff Photographer
El ave
The Steely-vented Hummingbird (Saucerottia saucerottei) pertenece a la familia Trochilidae (Hummingbirds) en la taxonomía eBird/Clements.
Fuente: eBird.org (se abre en una pestaña nueva)
Conservación
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Fuente: Lista Roja de la UICN
