The Story
This Greenish Puffleg (Haplophaedia aureliae), of the subspecies caucensis, was at Fincas Verdes in San Antonio, Tolima, Colombia when I photographed it. 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. The female’s foreneck and breast have prominent white scaling. 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