The Story
I photographed this female White-booted Racket-tail (Ocreatus underwoodii) at Birdwatch La Conchita, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. She hovered near purple flowers. Her green plumage blends with the natural backdrop, and the fast shutter caught her fluttering wings against the muted greens and purples behind her. Both sexes have white leg puffs, but only the male has the long racket-tipped tail. The species favors humid forest edges in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, and several birds often feed close together. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed her with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600, −1 EV. The San Antonio cloud forest at Kilometer 18 is recognized as an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, with the Multicolored Tanager as its symbol species.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The White-booted Racket-tail (Ocreatus underwoodii) 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