The Story
I photographed this Greenish Puffleg (Haplophaedia aureliae), of the subspecies caucensis, at Fincas Verdes in San Antonio, Tolima, Colombia. The female’s foreneck and breast have prominent white scaling. Besides nectar, it feeds on insects that it gleans from leaves. The female builds a cup nest of moss and cobwebs and hangs it under a large leaf that shelters it from rain. Birds recorded around San Antonio include threatened species such as the Yellow-eared Parrot and the Spot-winged Parrotlet. San Antonio lies in southern Tolima, about 109 km from Ibagué.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. IUCN lists the Greenish Puffleg as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Greenish Puffleg (Haplophaedia aureliae) 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