The Story
I photographed this Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird (Tilmatura dupontii) at Villa Verde, by the entrance to Celaque National Park near Gracias, Lempira, Honduras. Its greens and blues stood out against the green backdrop. Males measure only about 8 to 10 centimeters, and females have bronze-green upperparts and cinnamon underparts. The species lives from Mexico to northern Nicaragua, usually between 750 and 2,500 meters, and feeds with a slow, bee-like flight. It also catches insects by flying out from a perch. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/2000 sec, f/16, ISO 3200, −1 EV. 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.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird (Tilmatura dupontii) 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 stable. Source: IUCN Red List