The Story
I photographed this Green-backed Hillstar (Urochroa leucura) along the Trampolín de la Muerte, the mountain road above Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia, at about 1,545 meters. It lives on the east slope of the Andes from southern Colombia through eastern Ecuador, and separately in northeastern Peru. It uses the interior and edges of montane forest and secondary forest, as well as shrubby slopes, often near streams. The sexes look alike, though the female is a little duller. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 800mm f/11 for this one, at 1/500 sec, f/11, ISO 6400, −0.5 EV. The road from San Francisco to Mocoa opened in 1944 and runs between about 600 and 2,800 meters, crossing from Andean forest into the Amazonian foothills.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Green-backed Hillstar (Urochroa leucura) 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