The Story
This Long-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii) perched on a weathered branch at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It showed its iridescent green plumage and long sapphire-blue tail. Its form stands out against the muted tones of the forest. It is one of the most striking hummingbirds of the Andes. Only the male has the long tail. The species lives from Venezuela to Bolivia between 900 and 3,000 meters. At lower elevations it feeds mostly in the treetops, and it sometimes robs nectar by piercing the base of a flower. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/750 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800, −1.5 EV. Cali, Yumbo, La Cumbre and Dagua have committed to conserving the San Antonio–Km 18 Key Biodiversity Area, the cloud forest around La Minga, along with its water sources.
©2025 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