The Story
On June 28, 2017, I photographed this Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans) at the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá in Bogotá, Colombia. It is a hummingbird of the highlands of northern and western South America, including much of the Andes. It lives in many semi-open habitats, even gardens and parks in large cities, and is often the most common hummingbird in its range. It has long violet-blue ear plumes that it can raise, and a green tail with a steel-blue band near the tip. The garden grows plants from every altitude, climate and region of Colombia, grouped by their original ecosystems.
I used a Canon EOS 70D and the EF400mm f/5.6L USM for this one, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. IUCN lists the Sparkling Violetear as Least Concern, and the garden, a member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, runs conservation workshops and a science club for children.
©2018 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans) 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). Source: IUCN Red List