The Story
I photographed this Long-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii) at Finca Alejandría at Km 18 above Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It feeds on nectar and insects, usually hovering at flowers but sometimes clinging to them or piercing the base of a flower to rob nectar. It catches insects by flying out from a perch. The male builds the nest, a bulky dome of moss and plant fibers with a side entrance. It lives between about 900 and 3,000 meters and has a complex pattern of movements. Cali lies in the Cauca River valley at about 1,000 meters, with the Western Andes rising to the west of the city.
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 400, −1 EV. IUCN lists the Long-tailed Sylph as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Long-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii) 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