I photographed this Honduran Emerald (Amazilia luciae) at La Marimba, near Tierra Blanca outside Gracias in Lempira, Honduras. It is found only in Honduras, where it lives in dry forest, thorn forest and scrub, and in addition to nectar it feeds on small arthropods. In some seasons it is one of the most conspicuous birds in its habitat, and at other times it is almost absent. IUCN lists it as Vulnerable, and the main threat is the continuing conversion of its habitat to farms and homes.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/1000 sec, f/16, ISO 1600. Celaque protects Cerro Las Minas, at 2,849 meters the highest point in Honduras, and its rivers supply water to more than 120 communities, including Gracias.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Honduran Emerald (Amazilia luciae) belongs to the family Trochilidae (Hummingbirds) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Conservation
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List