The Story
I photographed this female White-booted Racket-tail (Ocreatus underwoodii) at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. She hovered near a purple flower. The slow shutter let her wings blur while her head and body stayed sharp, and her iridescent green plumage and fluffy white boots stood out against the soft greens of the forest. The male has long racket-shaped tail feathers, while the female is more compact. It is most numerous between 1,600 and 2,200 meters, 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 1/180 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800, −0.5 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.
©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