The Story
This female Mountain Velvetbreast (Lafresnaya lafresnayi) perched on a dew-covered fern in fine mist and soft morning light at El Palmar, the entrance to the Alto Combeima forest reserve in the Cañón del Combeima above Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia, at about 2,567 meters. The species is known for its long, decurved bill and white tail spots, though the female’s bill is less curved than the male’s. It lives in high-elevation cloud forest in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru, generally between 1,800 and 3,400 meters. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed her with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/750 sec, f/6.7, ISO 3200, −0.5 EV. The Alto Combeima reserve covers 7,356 hectares between 2,000 and 4,800 meters on the eastern slope of the Central Andes, and it borders Los Nevados National Natural Park.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Mountain Velvetbreast (Lafresnaya lafresnayi) 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