Sparkling Violetear

The Story

I photographed this Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans) at the Recinto del Pensamiento in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. The Sparkling Violetear’s nest is a cup of soft plant material decorated with lichens on the outside. Incubation takes 17 to 18 days. It lives in a wide range of semi-open habitats, even gardens and parks in cities like Quito, and is often the most common hummingbird in its range. The reserve’s trails pass a hummingbird viewpoint, a butterfly house, an orchid forest and the Pabellón Zeri, built of guadua and regional woods. IUCN lists the Sparkling Violetear as Least Concern.

I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600, +1 EV. The reserve belongs to the Comité Departamental de Cafeteros de Caldas and is run by the Corporación para el Desarrollo de Caldas to promote nature tourism in Manizales.

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