The Story
I made this photo of a female Blue-tailed Emerald (Chlorostilbon mellisugus) at Reserva Natural La Palmita in Trinidad, Casanare, Colombia. The Blue-tailed Emerald lives mostly in semi-open and open country, such as savanna, farmland and gardens. It takes nectar from a wide variety of low plants, shrubs and trees. Its cup nest is made of downy plant material bound with spiderweb and covered with bark and lichen. La Palmita’s research center has recorded 250 bird species and 39 bat species in the flooded savannas of Trinidad. IUCN lists the Blue-tailed Emerald as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
I used a Pentax K-1 with a 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 lens for this one, at 1/40 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400. La Palmita conserves its flooded savannas through its cattle ranching and has welcomed visitors since 2013, so every stay supports sustainable tourism in the region.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Blue-tailed Emerald (Chlorostilbon mellisugus) 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