The Story
I photographed this Gray-chinned Hermit (Phaethornis griseogularis) at the Reserva Natural y Ecoturística La Avispa, near Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia, in January 2021. This small hummingbird is 8 to 10 centimeters long and weighs only 2 to 3 grams. It has greenish upperparts, a cinnamon-red rump and dark tail feathers with white tips, and males have a grayish throat. The nominate race lives in the eastern Andes from Colombia to northern Peru, in dense growth such as cloud forest understory, second growth and forest edges, and in eastern Colombia it occurs below 400 meters. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/30 sec, f/6.7, ISO 3200, +1 EV. La Avispa is a 232-hectare natural reserve that uses tourism to show visitors why the environment needs protecting.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Gray-chinned Hermit (Phaethornis griseogularis) 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