The Story
I photographed this female White-vented Plumeleteer (Chalybura buffonii) near Coello, in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia, at about 1,184 meters. The species is found in Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru, from sea level up to about 2,000 meters. Nests have been found on branches up to 2.5 meters above the ground, and one closely watched nest raised a single chick that fledged in 21 days. Females lack the male’s blue breast. Its nest is a cup of plant down bound with spiderweb, with moss and lichen on the outside. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed her with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/250 sec, f/6.7, ISO 1600, +1 EV. Entreaguas, in the Coello–Cocora area of Ibagué, offers ecological walks and birdwatching tours.
©2025 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The White-vented Plumeleteer (Chalybura buffonii) 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 2022), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List